


Dreamin' a Dream

by Bangtothehwangtotheyang



Series: College Shenanigans with (Mostly) 4th Gen Groups [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Bc i think it should be, I keep adding tags sporadically so watch out, I like chat fics too much, I plan on amping it up at some point, I think I figured out how to tag now, Is I would die for Jeong Wooyoung a proper tag, It starts very slow, Kang Yeosang-centric, M/M, Minor Choi Yeonjun, Minor Dreamcatcher (Band), Minor Lee Gahyeon, Minor Seo Changbin, Mutual Pining, Swearing, That's the only tag you need, The style is so easy for crackhead culture, This is half chat fic now im sorry, no beta we die like men, theres a little bit of angst, yeosang best boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bangtothehwangtotheyang/pseuds/Bangtothehwangtotheyang
Summary: Yeosang yearned for more, to reach above the farm life and make his way in the world...if only he wasn't so afraid of meeting new people. But when his cousins come to stay for the summer, things change. And maybe it's for the better...but it definitely makes life very strange.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San & Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho & Song Mingi, Jung Wooyoung & Kang Yeosang, Kang Yeosang & Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa
Series: College Shenanigans with (Mostly) 4th Gen Groups [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979005
Comments: 41
Kudos: 72





	1. Will You Be My Friend?

The problem with living at home into your twenties was the terribly sad fact that you couldn’t bring your boyfriend over to stay the night without your parents causing a fuss. Luckily for Yeosang, he didn’t have a boyfriend. He spent his days baking banana bread and wising that he could spend less time on the farm. But he did like his apron collection, and for that he couldn’t complain. He wasn’t alone, though; his two cousins—Yunho and Wooyoung—were staying with his family for the summer. Yunho was taller than all hell (which Yeosang found unfair due to their closeness in age) and Wooyoung was what happened if you allowed your child to eat Pixie Sticks for dinner from five to eleven. But Yeosang loved them both dearly, even if they exuded more enthusiasm for staying on their aunt’s farm than Yeosang did living there year-round.

Wooyoung had two years left of school, and he was excited to be into his upper-level psychology classes. There wasn’t a single thing about the human mind that he didn’t want to know, which was very exciting at 3am when he’d barge into Yeosang’s room, flick on the light, and begin telling him about a new function he discovered. Yeosang started keeping the horse crop just under his mattress to swat his cousin away without fully waking. The fourth time it happened, Wooyoung’s wail woke up Yunho, which caused the fluffy-haired puppy to grumble into the room and drag his younger brother away as he complained about the large welt on his arm.

Yunho, for his credit, only had a year left in school, and tended to do nothing but hang out with his best friend, Mingi, who actually lived not far from the Kang residence with a group of friends. Part of the reason (almost the only reason) Yunho had agreed to spend the summer there was how close it was to his friends. The Jeongs lived several hours from their university, and instead of transferring all their stuff back to their house, the brothers stayed to hang out with their friends. Yeosang’s mom had been  _ ecstatic  _ to have her nephews under her wing. (And although she wouldn’t tell her son, he knew she didn’t want him moping about, and hoped the other two would get him out for the summer.) Yeosang also went to the same school, but had decided to do culinary science. That was the reason he practiced baking and different internet recipes all summer. It had nothing to do with his lack of enthusiasm to go out with people and do dumb drinking activities, nor his fear of being boring and a quiet burden on people. (Yeosang couldn’t remember what Yunho majored in, but it had something to do with...journalism? Maybe?)

Yeosang found himself out in the barn one afternoon, feeding the horses, when a big SUV pulled into the long gravel driveway. The dust obscured the visitors, and Yeosang found himself not caring enough to look up. They were probably here for Yunho, anyways.

“Sangie!!” Wooyoung’s voice pierced the dust and soon his figure blew up to his cousin with a smile that rivaled the sun. He wore his oversized red sweatshirt and flapped the sleeves at his cousin. “You have to hang out with us! We’re going over to Seonghwa-hyung’s and he just got this  _ amazing _ DDR pad for his game room!”

Before Yeosang could ask who Seonghwa was, despite vaguely remembering the name, Wooyoung dragged Yeosang out of the barn and to the car. In the driver’s seat was a blond guy with the most elegantly sculpted face Yeosang had ever seen, and probably the kindest smile to accompany it. Yunho stood at the door, laughing at the scene of Yeosang’s dragging feet. “Seonghwa-hyung, this is my cousin, Yeosang. It’s his house.”

Seonghwa nodded. “Yes, you’re the star of all of Woo’s stories. They both are incredibly fond of you.” His voice was soothing and almost exactly what Yeosang expected from the man before him.

Yeosang cleared his throat, his cheeks going red. “Ah, yeah. That’s nice.” When everyone stared at him, he coughed and quickly covered, “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve definitely heard your name before.”

“Well, at least I’m worthy of some attention. I would hope I’d be mentioned above these heathens.” He spoke the last words with a quick glance over his shoulder.

“Yah!” an indignant cry came. A small guy with bright-blue hair crawled to the front and smacked Seonghwa’s shoulder. “Don’t let him lead you astray, Yeosang. We’re all cooler than him and he’s just jealous.” With a wink and wave, an impish grin on his face, the guy said, “I’m Lucky.”

“Is that your real name?” Yeosang asked, wishing desperately that he wouldn’t have to go with them, especially since many people didn’t appreciate the smell of horse. Also, he didn’t want to intrude on a solid group of friends.

Yunho laughed at the antics. “No, it’s not. It’s Hongjoong. He just likes to tell people that. See if they believe him. I told you it’s not believable, hyung.” Yunho directed this last bit at his friend.

“Whatever. You want to come hang, Yeosang? We’re gonna watch Mingi fail miserably at DDR.” A loud complaint was heard from the back and Hongjoong shushed him, eyes on Yeosang once more.

Glancing down at his clothes, Yeosang shrugged. “I’m not exactly in the best state to hang out...or dance around. Maybe next time?”

“Nonsense!” Wooyoung shouted right in Yeosang’s ear. Even Hongjoong winced. “Go change and we’ll wait. They’ve all wanted to meet you for weeks!” As if this was incentive to hang out, as if their wants suddenly translated into Yeosang’s obligation. But Wooyoung was relentless, as was the chorus of pleas from within the car. So, Yeosang sighed and nodded, knowing it probably  _ was _ good for him, and then he rushed inside, pulling on his one white hoodie he couldn’t wear around the farm because it would get ruined. Wooyoung had disappeared into the car, but Yunho stood outside still, leaning against the passenger door.

“You know, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Yunho said in a low tone. Yeosang nodded, shrugging again and fixing a stray piece of his long hair. “Okay. But if you want to go at any time, just let me know, and I’ll get you home. It’s no issue.” Yeosang smiled at Yunho’s protective expression, which caused Yunho to smile, and the two entered the vehicle. The last seat just inside the door was saved for Yeosang, right next to another boy he didn’t know, but who sported a crown of black-and-red hair, and basically looked like a god come to life. He had kind eyes and a pair of earbuds in. On the boy’s other side was Hongjoong, who was busy yelling at Wooyoung, another boy, and Mingi, who sat in the back seat and were singing  _ Frozen _ songs at the tops of their lungs. Yeosang wondered briefly why  _ all  _ of them had come, if they were roommates, but that didn’t seem to matter as Seonghwa whipped out of the driveway.

Hongjoong settled back in his seat as the car made it to the main road and leaned forward to make eye contact with Yeosang. “The troublemaker in the back seat is San, and this here is Jongho. He has sensory issues, so he has to wear earbuds if we’re all in the car.” Yeosang nodded sympathetically, understanding the kind of pain that must be. Jongho glanced at Yeosang and smiled softly.

Perhaps Yeosang’s heart skipped a little. Just a little. The tiniest skip.

(Don’t judge. Yeosang was lonely and gay, and this was a cute, soft boy. His weakness.)

They pulled into the others’ driveway about ten minutes later. The house was large and beautiful, settled on a few acres of land. Wooyoung nearly pushed Yeosang out of the car since he was apparently going too slow for his cousin. San apologized and pat Yeosang on the head as they passed. The boy stood taking in the house and everything surrounding it. The others took no mind, having been here dozens of times, but something about this place felt...special.

A hand tapped Yeosang’s shoulder, bringing him out of the magical haze the property had covered him in. He turned to Jongho, who had taken out his earbuds. “You scared to go in?” he asked in probably the most melodic, natural speaking voice Yeosang had ever heard.

“No,” Yeosang managed. “Just taking it all in. It’s a nice place.”

“Yeah, Seonghwa-hyung thought it would be nice to have a place closer to school for all of us to hang out, and this was his grandparents before they passed away. His parents kept it, and he invited all of us when he gathered us into the friend group.” Jongho shrugged. “Beats the dorms.”

Yeosang nodded, feeling like a bobble-head already. He stayed at home during school for the purpose of avoiding weird roommates and spending an absorbent amount on room-and-board. Less obligation at home than the dorms, too.

Jongho smiled softly again and offered his elbow. Yeosang flushed, hiding his giggle behind his hand, but took it anyways at Jongho’s insistence. The others minus Seonghwa had disappeared into the basement, and their screams (mainly Mingi and Wooyoung) could be heard echoing from downstairs. Yeosang thought it was odd because it was supposed to be DDR, but knowing how competitive his cousins could get, he wasn’t surprised.

“Glad you two got in okay,” Seonghwa said. “I was worried for a second when Sangi preoccupied your cousins. You’re new, and I didn’t want you to get lost or be uncomfortable. But with Jongho by your side, I guess that’s less likely.” Seonghwa made eye contact with Jongho, who pursed his lips in retribution. Seonghwa pinched his cheek and walked to the stairs, beckoning them forward.

~~~

The following four hours were beyond Yeosang’s comprehension. He discovered that of the eight of them, San and Yunho were the best at DDR, but only because San was incredibly flexible and Yunho would not be beaten by a “short and boneless peasant.” Yeosang and Wooyoung were on a similar level, and the remaining four varied in skills. Hongjoong called foul, something about their genes being better than the rest of them, which earned merciless teasing by the others that Yeosang didn’t quite understand.

Yeosang had spent the majority of the time next to Jongho, who participated the least, instead favoring to watch his friends make fools of themselves. He plugged some earplugs in at one point, claiming he could still hear, which Yeosang believed for some reason. By the time Seonghwa took the three of them home, Yeosang was exhausted. Seonghwa smiled softly, telling them all to get rest. Wooyoung helped Yeosang inside as Yunho thanked Seonghwa for the ride. Yeosang barely remembered changing before he crashed to his bed, falling into a deep sleep where he dreamed of warmth and kindness and dancing ladybugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I literally had a dream that these events are based off. This is also 100% not real and is in no relation to the real-life people who share the same names.


	2. Don't Waste It No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A spicy pov shift
> 
> Will include a small chat section

“Did you have to use  _ so  _ much on him, Jongho?” Seonghwa asked when he returned back to the house. San was laying off the couch, upside down, reading on his phone, while Jongho sat beside him humming a tune. The pair looked up to the other. “Yeosang almost passed out in my car on the way back. You went too far.”

Jongho shrugged, which earned him an eyebrow quirk from San. “I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable.”

“So, you dragged his emotions up instead, making him so comfortable, he’ll probably sleep for two weeks?” Seonghwa asked again.

San glanced between the two, trying not to get in the middle of that. He slid off the couch and crawled out of the living room to his bedroom. Jongho sighed deeply and pursed his lips to convince his hyung to show some mercy.

“No, you can try that cute shit on Hongjoong. He believes you. I don’t.” Seonghwa stood in front of the other now, hands on his hips.

Jongho considered his options here. There wasn’t much he could do to convince Seonghwa of anything, and they both knew it. “I thought we were going to tell him.”

“So, you want his first taste to be with you fucking up his emotions?” Seonghwa countered. “I appreciate that you want him to be comfortable, but this is not the way to go about including him. Yeosang’s emotions aren’t the only thing you affect. You need to be careful, Jongho. Especially with Yeosang. He’s a person, first and foremost, but he’s also Yunho and Wooyoung’s cousin. If you hurt him, Yunho will come for you, and then Wooyoung, which will probably get San and Mingi on your case, too. I don’t want this to become an issue; can you promise me from here on out that you will not manipulate his emotions unless I give you approval first?”

Seonghwa was hardly wrong. The only person who had better probability of being right was Mingi, but that wasn’t as relevant. If Seonghwa told you to do something, you had no choice but to at least consider the outcomes before you jumped off the roof or filled the bathtub with pudding (which were definitely not based off real examples). He had a track record of keeping the other six in line, covering their unfortunate tracks from most fuck-ups. The most recent fuck-up being when someone insulted Mingi and Hongjoong may have thrown that asshole into a wall. May have broken some bones. May have punctured a lung. But that wasn’t anyone’s fault but the asshole’s, and that got a 5-1 vote, so Seonghwa had no choice but to cover up the incident. Thankfully, Yunho hadn’t been there, or something worse might’ve happened.

“Okay,” Jongho said with a sigh. “I’ll get approval. And when we tell Yeosang, I’ll apologize.”

Seonghwa smiled fondly before petting Jongho’s head. “You’re a good kid. You’ll figure this out eventually. Just make sure Wooyoung and Yunho don’t find out; they won’t be as forgiving.” Jongho winced at that. Of all people, Seonghwa would know.

~~~

The next morning involved the usual routine: Mingi woke at an ungodly hour to do yoga, followed by having two other people in the house banging on the walls telling him to turn off his tranquil music, one of which always included Hongjoong threatening to come into the room and fold him into a pretzel himself. This, unfortunately, never worked, and the next morning was the same because as much as Hongjoong meant it, Mingi knew the older would never have the energy to move that early.

Following that, Mingi woke up Jongho on purpose, who made him so scared he ran out of the room screaming, which awoke everyone else fully. San and Seonghwa got up next, the latter getting coffee for Hongjoong to earn his trust back and then everything went on as normal.

That morning, however, a pouty San entered Jongho’s room just as he finished getting ready and showed him his messages with a hand to his mouth.

  
  


**_Private Message_ **

**Sannie-hyung (10:24am)**

You coming over today??

**Wooyoungie (10:30am)**

Can’t  ☹

Sangie’s been in bed all day

Yunho and I had to do his chores

He hasn’t been this sick since he was little

**Sannie-hyung (10:34am)**

Oh no!

I’m sorry. Tell him I hope he feels better

**Wooyoungie (10:35am)**

Why don’t you hope ~I~ feel better

I had to clean up horse shit

It was NOT pleasant

I smell now  ☹

**Sannie-hyung (10:38am)**

Well, take a shower and be grateful you’re not sick like Yeosang

**Wooyoungie (10:40am)**

You’re rude

And to think I call you my best friend :P

  
  


Jongho’s stomach dropped as he clutched the phone. “I feel awful,” he told San, the regret washing over him. If he thought Seonghwa chastising him last night was bad, he was in for it when Yunho figured out what happened.

San pat his head. “Just do what Seonghwa-hyung says next time. Yeosang will get through it. I just thought you should know.”

Jongho narrowed his eyes at San, knowing exactly what the other felt. “I’m not apologizing to you  _ or _ Wooyoung-hyung. You can spend one day apart without giving me a headache. Only Yeosang deserves an apology. And Yunho.” They had all received the lecture the day they decided to tell Yeosang about them. Yunho couldn’t physically harm them like Hongjoong, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t find a way to hang them out to dry for hurting his cousin, who was, in Yunho’s words, the most precious person in the world and deserved only protection. San just smiled and hurried out of the room before Jongho could make up his mind about hurting him in some way.

The day passed on without much injury after that. San did stretches in the living room, Seonghwa did work for his internship, Hongjoong cleaned the kitchen, and Mingi played cards with Jongho until one of them decided to cheat. (They usually didn’t last long.)

The calm lasted until about 4:30pm, when the front door slammed open and a less-than-thrilled Yunho stalked in the door directly for Jongho. “Care to explain what happened last night?” he asked with his arms crossed. Jongho shot Seonghwa a betrayed look, but Yunho interjected, “He didn’t say anything. I figured it out because it was all over Sangie’s sweatshirt when I cleaned up his room for him. I told you specifically not to mess with him, Jongho. What did you think would happen? You  _ never _ mess with anyone to that degree, and then the first time he comes around, you drain him completely.”

Mingi winced as Seonghwa sighed. Yunho turned to stare at the other two. “He had to,” Mingi provided. “He wasn’t comfortable at all. If Jongho hadn’t kept pushing him, Yeosang would’ve left ten minutes in.”

“Why didn’t you just say something? Anyone?” Yunho asked. “It would’ve been okay.”

“Not if we want him to be our friend,” San offered weakly. This earned him a withering glare that had him sinking into his seat.

“You don’t have to manipulate someone to be your friend if you’re not a terrible person. This is over. Yeosang can make his own friends, and he won’t come here again.” Before anyone could argue, namely Mingi, Yunho strode out of the house and slammed the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so far some abilities have been revealed! Everyone in Ateez has one but in the super-casual way


	3. We Don't Want No Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung is nosy but it's okay
> 
> (Also feat me finally figuring out how to use this site and use bold ✌ 
> 
> I hope...)

Yeosang awoke around 9pm, the headache that’d been plaguing him still settled between his eyebrows. He groaned and covered his head with his pillow, hoping the soft fabric would soothe him. It did not. He rolled over and grabbed his phone. The brightness had been all the way down since that morning, when he awoke with the same headache and an ache all through his body. His mother had gone into healer mode and made sure he had everything he needed and then she forced his cousins (through guilt) to do Yeosang’s chores. Wooyoung had started to complain, but one pointed stare said all she needed and the boys zipped off.

There were a few notifications from his cousins, including an analysis from Wooyoung of what could’ve caused the headache, and a message from an unknown number.

  
  


**_Private Message_ **

**Unknown (7:45pm)**

Hi Yeosang, this is Jongho. I heard from Yunho that you weren’t feeling good today. Sorry if we partied you out too much. I just hoped you enjoyed last night. We were all glad you could join us, and I know it seems daunting to come into a group of friends, especially ones as wild as us, but I hope that you can forgive our loud antics. I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I liked having you around. Not everyone is quiet like you. Even Seonghwa-hyung can get loud. Anyways, just remember to drink water and avoid sugar and caffeine. They usually make headaches worse. Saltines help with nausea, too.

  
  


Yeosang smiled softly at the message. He  _ had _ liked being there last night, even despite the unnatural comfort he felt with the group. He didn’t want to get his hopes up; yet, he was glad he went, even if he felt gross today. He would get better, and they could hang out again. Maybe for less time and in a quieter setting, even. Yeosang quickly saved Jongho’s number in his phone and decided to go back to sleep. But not after drinking water, like Jongho had suggested.

~~~

Thus began a week of messaging between Yeosang and Jongho. He had replied the following morning with a message of thanks, and they began discussing movies, music, and hobbies. The two had similar interests, but enough differences to keep it interesting. They had a mild debate about the best kind of bread (Jongho incorrectly thought zucchini bread was better than banana bread).

Yeosang mentioned none of this communication to his cousins, given Yunho’s abrupt topic change anytime his friends were brought up and Wooyoung receiving death-glares anytime he mentioned San or Seonghwa. He didn’t know what happened, but he had a sinking feeling that he was part of the problem. He kept the ruse that nothing had changed pretty well, had it not been for his loving younger cousin who could visibly see the mood change in Yeosang.

The older made the fatal mistake a few days later of leaving his phone on the ledge when he was mucking the stall in fear of dropping into the dirty floor. He had music playing while he cleaned, and only the slight chime tipped him off that he had a notification. Before he had the chance to put down the shovel, however, Wooyoung appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the phone.

“Ooooh,” he said as Yeosang demanded his phone back. Wooyoung swiveled away from him. “You’re texting Jongho? Since when did this happen? Is this what’s been making you less cooped up?” Wooyoung was now scrolling through their older messages, snorting at their little spats about bread and video games. “You guys are boring, OMG. No wonder you like him.”

Yeosang sighed loudly, blowing stray hairs from his eyes. “That’s none of your business,” he told Wooyoung sternly, ignoring his comment about liking Jongho. He’d  _ just _ met him. They were maybe friends. “Just because I don’t have stimulating conversations about the best way to hold cheeseballs in my mouth doesn’t mean I’m boring.”

Wooyoung frowned. “That’s unfair. San and I only did that once.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been trying to best him with cheeseballs ever since.” Yeosang knew this to be true, because sometimes he would go downstairs at 1am to get water and he’d find Wooyoung in the kitchen, shoveling cheeseballs into his mouth and begging Yeosang not to say anything to his mom or Yunho.

“So what? Are cheeseballs a crime in this house? Do I have to live a cheeseball-less life?” Wooyoung declared, still firmly clutching Yeosang’s phone.

“No, all I’m saying is that—”

“What are you two doing?” Yunho asked, appearing around the corner. “I look up from my phone and Wooyoung is nowhere to be seen, and now—” The older paused, staring at the position the others were in. Yeosang had slowly been inching closer to try and steal his phone back, and Wooyoung had been annoyingly out of reach. “Did you steal Sangie’s phone, Woo?”

“No. I was just holding it for him while he cleaned up.” Wooyoung’s answer was too quick, which tipped off his older brother.

He held out his hand, expecting the phone to be given to him so he could give it back to Yeosang. Instead, Wooyoung yelled, “Every man for himself!” Then he yeeted the phone at Yeosang and ran out of the barn and across the field. Yunho and Yeosang just stared at each other, at a complete loss for words.

“So, what’s going on?” Yunho asked when the shock had died down.

Yeosang shrugged. “I’ve been...texting Jongho. He asked me how I was doing when I was sick, and we’ve been discussing random things since. He’s nice. I like him.” Yeosang blushed instantly. “As friends. We get along in text form very well.”

Yunho blinked. “Wait, really?” Yeosang nodded, and quickly explained their conversations with an awkward twittle of his long hair. Yunho bobbed his head. “Okay. I just thought you weren’t comfortable around our friends.”

Yeosang honestly didn’t know if he was uncomfortable. That night had been okay, and besides his two friends from his classes, Yeonjun and Changbin, he really liked getting to talk to new people who weren’t completely annoying. Yeosang wasn’t used to loud people, much like Jongho wasn’t. And that’s why they bonded. Plus, that night had been pretty nice to end completely soft and warm.

“I’m not usually comfortable around people right away. I just need time to be used to people.” Yeosang didn’t think it was that odd to be uncertain when first meeting people. So many people misunderstood introversion. For some people, it took a moment to get their bearings around new people and allow their own personality to shine through. To be able to trust others to be good to you with who you were. Making friends was hard because they sometimes ended up being overbearing and trying to force you out of your comfort zone. And no one that night had done that, thankfully. 

Probably because of the look on Yunho’s face that told Yeosang that his older cousin had threatened to beat them up for one thing or another.

“You did, didn’t you?” Yeosang groaned, rubbing his face. “You told your friends to be super nice to me and then you thought they made me uncomfortable, so you were mean to them.”

“I wasn’t mean.” The younger blinked. “Okay,” the overbearing puppy mumbled. “I was mean.”

Yeosang crossed his arms. “Well, I did enjoy it. And if we could hang out maybe in smaller doses, I probably wouldn’t get so overwhelmed afterwards. I wouldn’t have to recharge my social battery a lot, so to speak.” Maybe it was from talking with Jongho, maybe it was his mom nagging him, or maybe it was his own yearning to get off the farm and do something this summer.

A small smile crept onto Yunho’s face. “That can be arranged.”


	4. Raise Me Up, Take Me Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is all chat  
> I promise I won't turn this into a chat fic, despite my love of them  
> [EDIT] yeah I lied. The best laid plans...
> 
> All-Knowing: Seonghwa  
> ShortandTemperamental: Hongjoong  
> AngelPuppy: Yunho  
> ElastiSan: San  
> ActuallyAll-Knowing: Mingi  
> HumanEmoticon: Wooyoung  
> OurBaby: Jongho

**_What If We Were All Cool...Unless..._ **

**AngelPuppy (8:02pm)**

@OurBaby I know what you did.

And don’t be alarmed.

I’m not mad.

**All-Knowing (8:03pm)**

That’s very cryptic of you

**ActuallyAll-Knowing (8:04pm)**

You shouldn’t be so dramatic.

**ElastiSan (8:05pm)**

Isn’t it Jongho who should know if you’re mad or not?

**ShortandTemperamental (8:07pm)**

Am I the only one wondering what he did???

**HumanEmoticon (8:09pm)**

Jongsang have been texting~  😉

**OurBaby (8:09pm)**

Why did you have to say it like that?

**HumanEmoticon (8:11pm)**

Um excuse ~me~ for caring about the EMOTIONAL well-being of my beloved cousin 

**ElastiSan (8:11pm)**

I thought puns were MY thing?

Who let Woo have a phone?

**ShortandTemperamental (8:11pm)**

^^

**ElastiSan (8:13pm)**

But also

What have you been texting about?

**HumanEmoticon (8:13pm)**

Boring stuff :P

**AngelPuppy (8:15pm)**

Which isn’t the point

What I wanted to say is that I talked to Sangie and he says he wants to hang with us. He said smaller doses might be better. I asked if he had any suggestions on what to do and he said there’s a new deal at the roller-rink for half-off nachos on Thursdays so who wants to go?

**HumanEmoticon (8:15pm)**

/raises hand/

**ElastiSan (8:15pm)**

/raises hand/

**All-Knowing (8:16pm)**

I’m in

**ActuallyAll-Knowing (8:16pm)**

I can’t. Hongjoong-hyung and I have work to do in my summer class, but you guys have fun!

**HumanEmoticon (8:16pm)**

Boo  ☹

Why did you take summer classes

**ShortandTemperamental (8:17pm)**

Because sometimes people need to get ahead in math so they can study more interesting things

Like molecular biology in grad school

And sometimes friends help friends with their studies so they can succeed

**ElastiSan (8:18pm)**

You just made the toaster fall off the counter

What is the minimum to not upset you?

**All-Knowing (8:18pm)**

That is the minimum

If something’s not broken, Hongjoong did a good job

**OurBaby (8:19pm)**

I always forget hyungs have known each other for a long time and have seen the good and bad

**All-Knowing (8:19pm)**

Like when your best friend is capable of throwing people twice his size around for being rude? Is that what you meant?

**ElastiSan (8:20pm)**

...is that good or bad though?

**ShortandTemperamental (8:20pm)**

😊

  
  


**_(8:25pm)_ ** **Wooyoung-hyung** **_has added you and 6 other people to a groupchat._ **

**_(8:25pm)_ ** **Wooyoung-hyung** **_has changed the name of the chat to_ ** **Eight Hooligans.**

**_(8:26pm)_ ** **San-hyung** **_has changed the name of the chat to_ ** **Seven Weirdos and One Hooligan.**

**_(8:26pm)_ ** **You** **_changed the name of chat to_ ** **Six Weirdos, One Hooligan, and Yeosang.**

**Yeosang-hyung (8:27pm)**

🤩

  
  


**_Private Message_ **

**Seonghwa-hyung (8:28pm)**

I can hear you screaming in your head all the way upstairs

Do you wanna talk

**Jongho (8:28pm)**

Shush

**Seonghwa-hyung (8:29pm)**

You first  😁


	5. We Party All Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's basically a giant skate-date
> 
> Also the ages are a bit funky in this to fit my schemes so the 99 liners get split into two diff school years  
> Which includes my best boy TXT bias 💜

After a few days of Wooyoung spamming the groupchat with memes and trying to force Yeosang to reply to them (which received appreciation from the others, who also didn't want to put up with the memes, except for San), the six of them headed to the roller-rink to...have fun. The flurry of people didn't even deter Yeosang, who hadn't been skating in forever, or Jongho, who really wanted nachos. Wooyoung and San disappeared almost immediately after getting their skates. 

“Alright,” Yunho said, clapping his hands together. “I haven’t been skating in a very long time, but I am ready to be amazing.” He took a large step and almost tripped on the carpet, which the remaining three saw and watched as he pretended everything was fine. 

“I want nachos,” Seonghwa voiced, turning to Yeosang. “What do you want to do?”

Yeosang glanced after his cousin with a laugh. “I think I’ll go with Yunho.”

Seonghwa shared a pointed glance with Jongho, but the youngest mumbled something about getting nachos and skated away before anyone could stop him. Yeosang frowned, unsure what had happened.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Seonghwa said with a painful smile. “We were razzing him earlier. He’ll be fine after some food. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Once out on the floor, Yeosang just let the flow of the other skaters take him. He wasn’t spectacular, but he could keep himself upright. And although the group was separated, he was glad they all came together. This was something he wanted—friend hangouts without the small-talk, doing something fun, and no pressure to be “a part of the group.”

In his elation, Yeosang missed the person in front of him who’d stopped along the railing, and found himself skating directly into him, sending them both to the ground. As they both began mumbling apologies, Yeosang started to laugh. “Glad I could run into you, Yeonjun-ah.”

The boy in question grinned and helped the other to stand. “I don’t appreciate the faceplant, but I’m glad to see you too. I didn’t expect to see you here, honestly.” There was no malice or ill-intent in his words; Yeosang was a self-proclaimed homebody. Desire and reality were two very different things.

“What? Can’t you see me enjoying myself every Thursday night with half-price nachos?” Yeosang joked, rubbing his sore elbow.

“No, not really. Are you here alone? My friend Soobin is in the bathroom, but you’re welcome to join us if you need company.”

Yeosang smiled at the invitation. He knew he liked Yeonjun. “Oh, no, I’m here with a group. We’re just not together right now.”

The other’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh? Like a big group?”

“Yeah, there’s six of us here. Two couldn’t make it.”

“Like those boys that hang out in the basement of the library in the psychology section and always use the biggest study-room?”

Yeosang scowled. He knew that’s where the others hung out from what Wooyoung would tell him, but he didn’t understand why Yeonjun said it quite like that. “Yeah. Why?”

Yeonjun smiled awkwardly, trying to recover the situation. “Oh, nothing. I just thought they were super tight-knit and I’ve only ever seen the seven of them. I didn’t know they had other friends, honestly. It’s cool that you have them. I worry about your banana-bread enthusiasm.”

“Ha ha,” Yeosang rolled his eyes. “Well, I know they hang out a lot, but Yunho and Wooyoung are my cousins.”

A light seemed to go off behind Yeonjun’s eyes. “Ohhhhhhhhh. That makes more sense. Not that they wouldn’t adopt you as a friend, but like. Networking.” Then Yeonjun grimaced, facepalming. “Of all the words I could’ve said...” he muttered.

Just then, a gentle giant skated towards the pair. While being the same height as Yunho, something about him was different. Maybe it was because Yeosang saw Yunho every day. Either way, the soft-purple in his hair reflected the inner vibe Soobin gave off as he grabbed hold of Yeonjun desperately.

“Hyung—Help—” he managed before slipping to the ground with a loud thud.

Yeonjun just sighed for a moment, told Yeosang that Soobin was “not the most coordinated or athletically inclined” and helped up his friend. Yeosang chose to say his goodbye and skated off to find the others.

He found Wooyoung and San trying to do tricks in the middle of the rink where they had mats set up for new skaters to safely fall. Wooyoung wanted Yeosang to join, but his cousin declined and instead told the pain about finding the others. Yeosang passed Yunho on the way to the snack bar. The other waved him on when he gave him a questioning thumbs-up. (Yunho was doing a painful-looking slide into the splits while gripping the railing.)

The snack bar was crowded, but there was enough room to maneuver to Jongho and Seonghwa. “Are they worth the trip?” Yeosang asked with a nervous laugh. Everyone _seemed_ to be enjoying the evening, but that might’ve been for Yeosang’s sake (via Yunho’s threats).

Jongho choked on a chip as Seonghwa snorted. “Yes, definitely,” the older answered for them. “Jongho hasn’t stopped shoveling them in yet. Said something about since _you_ suggested them, it makes them _even_ better.”

The death glare the older received from the youngest could’ve killed a normal man on the spot. But Park Seonghwa was no ordinary man, and not even the power of Choi Jongho could stop his teasing. There wasn’t much that could kill the likes of Seonghwa, not even Hongjoong on a bad day, Yunho had told his cousin on the way there.

And perhaps Yeosang could see that himself. Seonghwa had a very _knowing_ air about him, something that laid above all others and placed himself as the peacemaker. He was the oldest of the group, the self-proclaimed wrangler, who, after spending years holding back Hongjoong, could handle any of the others, except maybe Woosan on a bad day. But for them he had Yunho. Because as happy-go-lucky Yunho could be, one didn't cross him without having severe consequences. Wooyoung knew that better than anyone.

Speak of the devils: "Sangieeeeee," Wooyoung's voice pierced the crowd as he made his way to their table, San and Yunho in tow. "I'm _so_ glad you suggested this. Now San owes me nachos." If someone could emote the 🤩 emoji, it would be Wooyoung.

San pouted. The pair had a series of bets going at all times, spanning from cheeseballs to pencil-throwing to apparently skating tricks. "I told you I couldn't skate as fast as you. It was a dumb bet."

"But you _made_ the bet knowing that, and for that I am not to blame." Wooyoung's grin marveled the neon lights that flicked on neon the disco ball turned on. "But nachos have to wait! It's Neon Time!" Wooyoung drug San after him, who in turn pulled Yunho's stumbling form with him.

"Always eventful with you delinquents," Seonghwa mused with a secret smile. "I'm going to get a refill. Yeosang, do you want something?" Yeosang shook his head as Seonghwa skated off to the counter. Jongho's face showed the betrayal and panic that Yeosang expected. He quickly mumbled something about using the restroom and disappeared himself.

Despite being alone once again, Yeosang didn't _feel_ alone. He was content by himself as his cousins and friends—if he could call them that—went about their business and enjoyed the night.

"Yeosang?" a voice came behind him. He turned as a girl with her pink hair in double buns skated towards him. She hit the table with a jolt and a smile. "It _is_ you! I'm glad to see you!"

A small smile lit up his face. "Gahyeon. Good to see you too."

“How’s your summer??” Gahyeon was one of the friendliest people in the program, and she always talked to Yeosang or waved at him in the café and library. Most of her friend group had graduated years before, but that didn’t stop her from branching out to every person in her class. She particularly appreciated Yeosang’s taste in food and clothes, even though she was one of the more fashionable people in the culinary department.

“It’s going pretty good. A little more active this year than usual, but that’s a good thing, I guess.” He didn’t know how to word it, specifically. How does one explain to a passing friend that existential dread ruined the ability to communicate with others for life-long friendships? “How are you?” he thankfully remembered to tack on.

Gahyeon’s smile brightened. “I’m great! My friend Yubin-unnie came back for a visit, so we came here to have a rocking time! She’s around here somewhere. I told her I’d be right back but uh...I lost her. Whoops.”

“Sorry to distract you, then,” Yeosang said, but he chuckled authentically, so it wasn’t meant to pity him. “I’m glad your summer has been good.” The two spent a few more minutes talking about their upcoming classes for their final year, Gahyeon twisting her beaded bracelet absently and smiling infectiously.

Like a slate, her smile vanished and fear filled her vision. Then she winced, and her smile returned, although tight. “Sorry, I just got a wicked headache.”

Confused, Yeosang pointed to the snack bar. “Do you need some water?”

Shaking her head, Gahyeon shrugged. “Just a freak thing, I guess. Well, I’m going to go find Yubin-unnie. Have a good rest of your night!” And with that, she skated off, no worse for the wear.

Feeling eyes on him, Yeosang glanced around, his gaze settling on Jongho being hauled out the exit by a very pissed-off Seonghwa. A few moments later, Yunho appeared, skates in hand, face tense. “Hey, uh, sorry to cut this short, but Seonghwa says we need to go.”

Yeosang frowned. “Is everything okay?”

Yunho’s eyes betrayed him. “Yeah. It’s just better to go now. Woo and San are already outside. Sorry you didn’t get any nachos.”

But Yeosang just shrugged. “I didn’t really come for the nachos. I’m glad we all got to come out together, even if we have to go now.”

Yunho cracked a smile. “Good. I’m glad. We should go.” He walked off, but Yeosang paused for a moment, his eyes catching all the light. There were flashes of soft pink and bright blue, and the ever-present feeling that this was somehow all his fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa came for me this comeback and you can tell
> 
> My multi status is very obvious this chapter friends  
> Yes that's the pretty Dreamcatcher maknae line making an appearance bc 99 liner and Gahyeon slayed Boca (especially with that hair color)
> 
> Also this chapter got away from me whoops


	6. Interlude: The Big Paradox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anyone reading this thought I was going to follow an update schedule, I'm sorry
> 
> Also this is a (chat) interlude bc I wanted to write something but not the next part bc it's aNGstY
> 
> So anyways here's Dreamcatcher  
> If they're not your vibe you can skip this it really doesn't matter

**_Insomniacs_ **

**Yubin (9:11pm)**

Why didn’t anyone tell me there was an empath at our former school?

**Bora (9:13pm)**

Do you expect me to know all the mental nonsense of everyone all the time? I’m not a telepath.

**Minji (9:14pm)**

We don’t dabble in that sort of stuff, Yubinnie. I would help if I could.

**Handong (9:16pm)**

What are you talking about specifically? I know there were a few boys a year or two below us who had some stuff going on, but I never got close enough to them to figure out what exactly they were doing.

**Yoohyeon (9:17pm)**

Wait

Was it that tall guy and that short guy

The short guy had amazing anger issues

Broke some guy’s ribs??

**Gahyeon (9:18pm)**

YES

The tall one kicked the empath out of my head

**Siyeon (9:19pm)**

HE WHAT?

SOMEONE WAS ATTACKING MY BABY?

GIVE ME THEIR NAME!

**Yubin (9:21pm)**

Unnie. Calm down. She’s fine. I got to her right after it happened.

**Yoohyeon (9:22pm)**

Okay yeah the tall guy’s cool

We had a class once

He didn’t cheat that much

But we went on a field trip and I uh

Got lost

And he helped me find my way back

He thinks he’s subtle

And I’m sure he would be to anyone else

But I know that kind of stuff very well

**Bora (9:30pm)**

Would it kill you. To just send that all. In one message.

**Yoohyeon (9:31pm)**

I

Do

Not

Vibe

With

That

You

Need

The

Staccato

Of

My

Voice

**_(9:40pm)_ ** **Bora** **_has removed_ ** **Yoohyeon** **_from the chat._ **

**Handong (9:41pm)**

So, is everyone okay after this? There’s no residual effects from the empath?

**Gahyeon (9:42pm)**

Nah I’m okay I just don’t really understand why it happened

**Yubin (9:43pm)**

It’s because you were talking to that boy. What’s his name again?

**Gahyeon (9:44pm)**

Yeosang! He’s a nice boy from my Culinary Arts class and I didn’t expect his empath friend to attack me

**Siyeon (9:46pm)**

It’s probably because you were too close to his boyf

**Bora (9:47pm)**

Who taught you that word?

**Siyeon (9:47pm)**

I learned it all on my own

**Minji (9:47pm)**

It was Yoohyeon.

**_(9:47pm)_ ** **Bora** **_has added_ ** **Yoohyeon** **_to the chat._ **

**Bora (9:47pm)**

Why did you teach Siyeon what “boyf” meant?

**Yoohyeon (9:48pm)**

Unnie wanted to know

And I am nothing if not a helpful dongsaeng

**Yubin (9:48pm)**

Kick her out again.

**_Private Message_ **

**Handong (9:50pm)**

Are you seriously okay?

**Gahyeon (9:50pm)**

I’m fine. Thank you for your concern though!

**Handong (9:51pm)**

Ga. You know you can talk to me about these things.

Do you want me to send you a new charm bracelet? I’ve been working on this new combo that should keep people off your back.

**Gahyeon (9:53pm)**

Yes, I know. And maybe, if you really want to

But I don’t think anything’s going to happen after today. I think the telepath boy is going to take care of it

Well, Yubin-unnie thinks so, because she said he was /very/ upset at the empath

**Handong (9:54pm)**

Oh, I wish I could see that. Will it be worse than that time Bora-unnie left Yoohyeon in the middle of the woods with her hands and feet tied?

**Gahyeon (9:55pm)**

Probably not

But it might be close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I realized after the fact that the last bit was very reminiscent of FromMyLibrary's "The Quartermaster" but it was originally based off Dreamcatcher MVs plus their assigned nightmares


	7. I Know You All Feelin' Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah idk what's going on either

Technically, Jongho didn’t break his promise. But those types of technicalities ended up getting an ass-beating, too. And Jongho managed to piss off  _ Seonghwa _ of all people.

The car ride home from the rink was eerily silent. Seonghwa dropped off the three cousins, which then left an even  _ deeper _ and tenser silence between the driver of the vehicle, the scolded child, and the reluctant passenger. San had done some dumb shit before, especially with Wooyoung, but nothing close to the thing Jongho had done.

The vibrations of the front door slamming shut behind Seonghwa shook the whole house, waking the remaining two. Hongjoong walked out of his room, sleepy and confused, but immediately straightening up when he figured out what’d happened. Mingi had already known some of the outcome, so he simply laid beside San so they could listen and learn (as per Seonghwa’s request).

“Tonight was goddamn irresponsible and disrespectful,” Seonghwa growled, a sound unbecoming but fitting for his mood. “You do not, under  _ any _ circumstances, use your ability for a vindictive act.” Jongho opened his mouth (foolishly) and was cut off immediately. “Hongjoong doesn’t count. He’s beyond hope, and he  _ does _ think before he harms another person. You, however, had no good intentions when you manipulated that poor girl tonight.” The others didn’t know the specifics of the situation, just that Jongho had broken Seonghwa’s trust, so their eyebrows popped up in unison at his final statement.

“I wasn’t—”

“You can’t explain this away! I know what you were thinking! Your emotions clouded your judgment!”

And that was the end of Jongho’s argument. Everyone had side effects from their abilities ranging from headaches to homicidal rage. (So, basically, Seonghwa to Hongjoong.) But when one’s side effect was brough into discussion, almost any rationale the defendant had during the incident was thrown away. Jongho was an empath, and thus his own emotions were heightened and could take a dangerous (and vindictive) turn.

What Seonghwa didn’t voice was Jongho’s reasoning, which didn’t  _ necessarily _ invalidate his actions, but definitely didn’t warrant hurting Gahyeon like that.

Jealousy was one hell of a drug for an empath to have.

The youngest left the room before more could be said, specifically about his control. He  _ hated _ being compared to Hongjoong. 

Hongjoong sighed at the youngest’s departure, which was the cue for the other two to return to their rooms. The blue-haired boy walked up to the other, frozen like a sculpture against the counter. “He’ll be okay,” he voiced. “We can help him.”

“Can we?” came an unnaturally soft reply. “He’s never shown aggression before.”

Hongjoong hummed. For the aggressive one, he had a few ideas. “He’s never had any reason to act out. But Yeosang...it’s different.”

When Seonghwa showed no sign of acknowledgement, Hongjoong pat his best friend’s back and returned to his room to sleep.

The oldest’s phone beeped, and it was several more moments before he checked the message.

**_Private Message_ **

**Unknown (10:01pm)**

So...

I got your number through odd means

Forgive me

But we need to talk

**Seonghwa (10:05pm)**

About what exactly?

**Unknown (10:05pm)**

Your baby empath hurting our baby

**Seonghwa (10:06pm)**

Yoohyeon?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:07pm)**

Yes 😂 I’m surprised you remember me

**Seonghwa (10:08pm)**

Not many people know about my friends

What do you want to discuss? I’m going to make sure that never happens again

I’ll make a blood oath if you want it

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:10pm)**

Sorry I just had a minor freak-out

Do you REALIZE how serious that is to us?? Are you aware of what you just said?

**Seonghwa (10:11pm)**

Yes

Do you remember History 365

The field trip?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:12pm)**

Unfortunately

**Seonghwa (10:12pm)**

So wouldn’t it track that I know what that means to you?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:13pm)**

...

Fair enough

Anyways

I’m glad

Is he okay tho? Yubin was concerned

**Seonghwa (10:15pm)**

Interesting

Yes he’s okay

Any suggestions going forward?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:17pm)**

I conferred with Bora-unnie

She said that he might be trapped

Siyeon-unnie says that he need to

Hold on

Jadogjasdkfsdlkj

Tellkl himmm toui confessksdf

Acst on hise crushihke

Okay I got my phone back

**Seonghwa (10:24pm)**

I’ll suggest it

But it won’t go over well

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:25pm)**

Handong-unnie specializes in these kinds of things and she’d do it for free

**Seonghwa (10:27)**

Benefits of being acquaintances with witches

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:28)**

Rude

My company

Is wonderful

Besides my connections

I should curse you

But I won’t

Because obviously your empath has some tricks up his sleep

**Seonghwa (10:29pm)**

And nothing of my other friends?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:32pm)**

Let’s see

Unimpressive x3

Street Performer Material

Dangerous and Vindictive

Telepath

Yeah no

I’ll give you that the smol friend has anger issues but that’s about it

**Seonghwa (10:35pm)**

I can’t believe you called Minyoungho unimpressive

Is it because you can do something similar to a smaller and less-accurate effect?

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:37pm)**

Offer rescinded we are ceasing contact until you apologize for your wicked ways

Goodnight smol child

**Seonghwa (10:37pm)**

I’m taller than you

**Yoohyeon⭐ (10:37pm)**

I SAID GOODNIGHT

The house was eerie the next morning. Mingi didn’t feel like bothering Jongho, or anyone for that matter. The four stayed in their rooms, waiting for the youngest to show some sort of outburst, or reaction at all. It was only when a quick knock could be heard, followed by the front door swinging open and one Jeong Wooyoung blowing into the house.

“I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!” he announced to the silent house. “SANNIE! WHY WON’T YOU ANSWER YOUR PHONE, YOU COWARD?”

Jongho peaked his head from his room at the other. Wooyoung paused, eyes trained on the other, waiting for the blow-up or the first sign of attack. “San’s afraid of me. And Seonghwa-hyung.”

“Everyone’s afraid of Seonghwa-hyung,” Wooyoung confirmed, brushing off his statement. “You didn’t even do anything that scary. You just...got a little attached to Sangie that’s all. I was afraid of sharing him with the world, too. Now he might bake bread for  _ other _ people. How else will I get my stash???”

Jongho cracked a smile at that, and Wooyoung won. He bounded over to the other and hugged him quickly and loosely. “See, I’m funny. No one ever appreciates it.”

“Funny-looking, maybe,” Jongho teased weakly. All of them were handsome/attractive/pretty in their own ways. It’s what made them special.

Wooyoung scoffed. “So, are we going to tell Sangie or what? Where’s Mingi? He should know.”

On cue, Mingi appeared from his room. “It’s going to be soon. But not today. We need time to organize.”

“And then what?” Jongho asked, although he already knew the answer. It was the same for when he first met the others.  _ Oh, poor Yeosang-hyung, _ he thought.

“Then,” Mingi started with a twinkle in his eye.

“We push him off the roof!” Wooyoung exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has strayed greatly from what I originally planned so whoops  
> Maybe Wooyoung will get me back on track
> 
> Also it's been a really weird couple of days due to all the stuff surrounding w**jin  
> If you're a fellow stay remember to take a break from the internet and enjoy the world!!
> 
> (I realize this is an ateez fic but I had to say it in case)


	8. All Eyes On Me Now, If You Still Doubt Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Projecting? I don't know her)
> 
> Let's see Yeosang's view on this situation (finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo amidst cleaning out my drive I deleted my notes doc for this story 😣
> 
> Thankfully it was just the random factoids I liked to keep in an excel format but now I'm sad and had to redo it all (including my wonderful song-lyric themed titles)
> 
> Please enjoy your regularly scheduled shenanigans from our dear ateenagerz

Since his cousins decided to treat the whole situation on Thursday like nothing odd had happened, so did Yeosang.

With one exception.

Now, Yeosang didn’t generally send a lot in the group chat anyways, but he stopped checking it altogether. He wasn’t trying to be super petty, but he was confused by the few times he’d hung out with the others, and why he was suddenly dragged from the rink after talking to Gahyeon (and the suspicious headache she’d received?). Plus, Yeonjun’s comments kept coming back to him, and he wanted to get to the bottom of this before he attached himself to these friends. He’d done it before. He’d known when he wasn’t wanted, and he’d slowly let himself detach. 

This time was far trickier because he had been butting in to an established friend group that  _ also _ contained his cousins, but he could do it. He hadn’t wanted to butt-in in the first place, but now that they were acting weird, Yeosang wasn’t going to put up with it. He didn’t need to be a part of the group, and he definitely didn’t need  _ only _ them as his friends. Yeosang was fine with his casual acquaintances. He was. No, stop questioning him. He was fine.

“Yeosang-ah,” his mom said one day when Yunho and Wooyoung were gone with their respective best friends. “I’m worried about you. You’ve been baking far more than usual.”

Yeosang shrugged while he mixed the batter of the new cupcake recipe. “I’m just...restless, I guess. I want to try new things. New, better recipes.”

She sighed, watching him thoughtfully. “You’ve been avoiding your cousins. You come to breakfast earlier than them and then you do your chores in the barn until they leave for the day so you don’t have to interact. And at dinner, you barely look in their direction or make conversation. Did something happen? Do I need to talk to them?”

His face burned at the thought. “No, Eomma, please. Nothing happened. I’m handling everything fine. I just needed a break. Time away from others.” That was kind of true but mostly bullshit. Yeosang’s mother was not unaware of her son’s methods for bullshit. She just gave him a look. “I do. I just need time to adjust.”

“Or you need time to talk yourself out of the friendship.”

Wow. Harsh.

Yeosang looked his mother in the eyes and said, “I don’t appreciate this call-out culture you’ve adapted.” She brushed him off and went about her own business. It was hard for Yeosang to just move on with this situation. He was too attached his cousins to just leave this friend group he’d barely been attached to.

A knock on the screen door startled him from his thoughts. On the other side of the screen was Seonghwa, fluffy and soft. “Can we talk?” he asked.

~~~

The pair ended up in the fields, walking slowly and aimlessly. Seonghwa dressed like he was going out somewhere that definitely wasn’t a farm. Yeosang worried for his shoes.

“So, you haven’t been answering the groupchat. Or reading it,” Seonghwa started a few minutes into the wandering.

Yeosang shrugged. “I got busy.”

“You didn’t answer Jongho either.” Yeosang shrugged again. Seonghwa sighed. “Wooyoung says you’ve been avoiding him, and I think I know why.”

“Well you should, since I just told you.” Yeosang really wasn’t giving Seonghwa anything. (Outwardly.)

So, Seonghwa used all that he had to cause problems. “What happened on Thursday was fucked up. I think we should address that. It wasn’t because of you talking to that pink-haired girl. It was just that...Jongho wasn’t feeling good, and we needed to get him home.”

Yeosang didn’t believe that one bit, which Seonghwa could tell by his unimpressed expression. “You could’ve told me that?” he said more like a question. “I can handle that someone doesn’t feel good. You guys acted like it was some mafia-type assignment you had to take. I’m sorry if I don’t believe your cover-up.” That was pretty bold of the bread-baking introvert, but that was the way it was.

Rarely in his life, which was a simple twenty-two years, but still spanning lifetimes corralling and harnessing other delinquents and keeping them from going on probation from their actions, was Park Seonghwa without words. 

He was a quick-talker but he held himself as reserved; he knew exactly what words would set an individual off, especially if he knew them well. So for him to be rendered speechless by his friends’ cousin whom he had known for a short while and only spoken to three separate times—unexpected. Not even Mingi could’ve predicted this. Seonghwa opened his mouth a few times but couldn’t form syllables.

“See, you can’t even lie to me properly,” Yeosang mumbled, feeling drained. He was tired, like that first night he’d hung out with them, but this was something else entirely. The emotional drain of trying so hard to make a friendship work and feeling like no one wants you there in the first place and just want you around as a stand-in body for their numbers. Yeosang would rather have no friends than be dragged along with this chaos.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

Yeosang gave him an unimpressed expression.

Seonghwa shook his head with a tiny chuckle. “No, seriously, Yeosang, I’m not being facetious. You will  _ not  _ believe me.”

The younger put his hands on his hips.

“Prove it.”


	9. Thank You For Being On My Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me before: when I get to this part, I'll know what to do  
> Me now: s h i t
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the reveal  
> /cue The Boyz/

Yeosang decided before he even walked into the house that he regretted his words. It was an odd feeling, walking into the others’ house behind his cousins, the whole group seated in the living room, except for Seonghwa, who stood in front of the TV, slightly pacing.

He had been so forward and certain when he told-off Seonghwa, but now he figured there had to be at least  _ something _ he didn’t know. Hell, his cousins—who he’d grown up with—knew and believed whatever this was, and seemed of the same opinion that Yeosang wouldn’t believe them.

“So,” Yeosang started once they had sat down (Yeosang on a bar stool, separate). “You said I wouldn’t believe whatever this is unless you showed me.”

Seonghwa nodded. “We decided a few weeks ago to tell you, but we wanted to wait until the time was right before we dumped you into it. Unfortunately, the night at the rink sped-up the timeline.” Seonghwa always sounded so professional, but he appeared nervous with his signature pained smile. “We’ll start with Mingi.”

Yeosang turned his attention to the tall boy seated between Hongjoong and Jongho. The brunet scratched the back of his head. “Oh, well, I’m psychic.”

Yeosang barely held in his snort. Now he understood why they’d been so cryptic.

“Yes, we knew you wouldn’t believe us, even if we could provide concrete examples,” a voice mused from the side.  _ Seonghwa seemed to be talking to...himself? _ “No, I’m answering your thoughts. I’m telepathic.”

_ That _ caused fear to spike into Yeosang’s heart and seep through his wide eyes. “And I’m an empath,” Jongho offered, not looking up. “So, I know when you feel anxious or afraid or anything else.”

“I’m super-fast!” Wooyoung yelled suddenly, standing up and blowing around the room until he tripped over a footstool that Yunho kicked in front of him.

“I thought we were doing mental abilities first?” Yunho asked with a sigh.

“Sorry, hyung; you guys took tooooooo long. Sangie needs  _ examples. _ ”

Ignoring his brother, Yunho said, “I’m psychometric. I can know everything an object has gone through with just one touch.”

“Like a telepath, but for inanimate objects,” Wooyoung teased.

Not saying anything, Yeosang turned to San. “Oh!” the dark-haired boy said after a moment with a bright smile. “I’m super flexible.” To prove this, he bent his arms completely around his head, almost like he didn’t have bones.

“So...you all have superpowers?” Yeosang summarized, doubt still in his mind.

“We like to call them enhanced abilities,” Yunho clarified kindly. “Most people have a lower-level of capability in these areas, more so the five of us rather than the two hyungs.”

Yeosang glanced at the blue-haired boy who had remained entirely silent. “I didn’t hear yours.” It was odd to say, but Yeosang had no other way to phrase it.

Hongjoong shrugged, rubbing his ear. “I was ordered to be a last resort,” he spoke with his eyes trained on his best friend. “Seonghwa didn’t want you to freak out immediately.”

“My cousin just ran around the room in five-seconds flat, and San became putty. I think I got the picture.” Yeosang wasn’t sure he believed  _ all  _ of them, but those two, and probably Seonghwa, were legit.

Raising his hand, Hongjoong flicked his fingers and the bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter flew into the living room, the bowl and its contents landing perfectly in Yeosang’s lap.

“Oh,” was all the blond boy said.

“Yes, he’s  _ such _ a cool hyung, throwing fruit, people, toasters—but I’m cooler!” Wooyoung argued. Loudly. Before he could take a step or cause a ruckus, he fell to the ground, broken sobbing coming through him.

Mingi and San simultaneously jumped on Jongho, and before Yeosang knew what was happening, Jongho complained he was suffocating and Wooyoung was laughing, no sign of the tears anymore.

_ Jongho isn’t allowed to use his empathy to control other people so he’s allowed to practice on us in small doses _ , Seonghwa’s voice rang in Yeosang’s head. The eldest had moved to stand beside Yeosang. “That doesn’t stop us from fighting back, of course.”

“Do you have any questions? You must have questions,” Yunho asked nervously, coming up beside Yeosang.

“Give him a second to breathe,” Wooyoung whined from the floor where he had decided to stay. “He’s a thinker. He needs time to form those handy-dandy words and proper sentences.”

“I think you need to, too,” Yunho told his brother, kicking him a little bit.

“I am the perfect amount of intelligent and eccentric,” Wooyoung declared confidently, snuggling into his hoodie on the floor.

While the siblings argued, Yeosang  _ did  _ have time to think about what was going on. It helped that he needed to keep hold of the ceramic bowl on his lap. He couldn’t let that break or he might break with it. If Yeosang thought about this prudently, he really wished one of them like Seonghwa could erase his memories and he could go back to his life before he knew any of this. He believed the oldest two, and Woosan, and now Jongho too, which kind of made sense (Yeosang was never  _ that  _ comfortable around someone immediately), but that didn’t mean he  _ needed _ to remember. He could just go back to his banana bread and spend his summer days contemplating a reality where “enhanced abilities” didn’t exist.

“Did we even tell him why we wanted to tell him?” Mingi asked suddenly, the room falling silent. When no one answered, he continued, “Because you have an ability, too.”

Oh. Oh fuck no. That was enough for Kang Yeosang, only child, farm-raised, bread-baker, first and only of his name and destined to die alone somewhere, suffocated by yeast spores.

Even knowing him for his entire life, Wooyoung didn’t think that Yeosang would drop the bowl and yeet himself out of the house. Even having super-speed, it took more than a moment for Wooyoung to catch up, mostly because Yeosang didn’t run in a straight (HA!) line or in the direction Wooyoung thought he would.

He found Yeosang scrambling away in a serpentine pattern vaguely in the direction of his house, but more towards a place he could hide.

“SANGIE WAIT!” Wooyoung yelled when his cousin once again darted away from him after he caught up. “WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS CALMLY! I WON’T LET HONGJOONG-HYUNG HURT YOU; I PROMISE!” What Wooyoung hadn’t been expecting was his cousin to find one of the many but far-spread creeks along the farmland and unexpectedly take a plunge over the edge.

Wooyoung wasn’t fast enough to catch his cousin. Yeosang let out a small cry for help, but it was too late. Wooyoung watched in slow-motion as his cousin fell nearly-face first into the shallow water. The impressive splash didn’t make up for the terror in Wooyoung’s heart. He rushed down and pulled Yeosang’s unconscious form from the water and examined his head for any bleeding. The others were still minutes behind, but that didn’t stop the full-blown panic attack from racking the younger’s body. He started to cry, clutching his beloved cousin’s head to his chest. He had never wished to have some sort of healer in their group than at this exact moment. The unfortunate side-effect of super-speed was the sped-up processes such as panic-attacks that formed like sudden storms or a metabolism that wouldn’t quit. And until the others found them (which wouldn’t take long with Mingi and Seonghwa around), Wooyoung was left a sobbing mess like before, except this time it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops gotta love cliffhangers
> 
> Also I realized a few things while writing this today:
> 
> 1) Wooyoung just never calls Yeosang "hyung" and it's not going to change  
> 2) the chapter titles match up perfectly to the plot somehow considering I have not planned much past like two chapters ago... (bless Ateez for their discography and promoted songs for having thematic lyrics)
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed!


	10. I Got The Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was dramatic and this one doesnt really stray from that  
> It's really loving All of Ateez hours

They had determined that Yeosang didn’t have brain damage due to Mingi’s amazing psychic abilities; however, never had the poor boy ever been ridiculed so much by his friends as he was by one Jeong Wooyoung, the small boy very adamant that Mingi get this right, unlike the time he told him the answers for an exam they had taken two-years prior. Never had any of them (except Yunho) ever seen Wooyoung so possessive and threatening at the same time, partly due to his panic attack but mostly to do with the unconscious boy he had yet to release from his lap.

Seeing Yeosang hurt did not do well for anyone, especially the two youngest, and, surprisingly, the oldest. Yunho was concerned, of course, but he was more used to people around him getting hurt, considering his younger brother had discovered his super-speed at the age of five and decided to nyoom into sturdy objects and great distances for no apparent reason, leaving six-year-old Yunho to track him down the long way.

“Why did you tell him he had an ability?” Yunho asked Mingi solemnly, not angry but just...tired.

Mingi sighed, scratching his head. “He didn’t vibe with us. His aura was going crazy and I wanted him to realize we didn’t just tell him this because we’re his friends.”

“Are we, though?” San asked, semi-cheekily and semi-dramatic. “He ran away from us and got hurt. We’ve hung out like, twice. He probably thinks we’re your average whack-jobs. I mean, we befriended Wooyoung.”

“ _You_ befriended Woo-hyung first,” Jongho said after a moment’s pause.

San looked more affronted than the offended party, who still clutched his cousin to him on the couch. “I know that. I’m just saying—Yeosang knows Wooyoung well and we’re his _friends._ Wouldn’t it track that he’d be wary of us?”

“We’re also friends with Yunho-hyung,” Jongho countered. San stuck his tongue out at the youngest.

Across the room, tucked against the counter, the eldest two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the scene and conversing softly.

“He wanted me to erase his memory of today. He didn’t want to remember any of this.”

“Well, maybe the head-trauma will help.”

“Joong.”

“I know, Hwa, but consider that the ‘timeline’ sped up, but he was still fragile. And now Wooyoung is going to fight us if we get near him. And to think, I was more worried about Yunho.”

Seonghwa glanced at the other with a soft nose-scrunch. “I know you thought that. We all did. But we forget that Wooyoung is quick to revenge and attacks. Yun’s anger is scarier, but Woo’s is more prominent.”

“What do you think Yeosang’s ability is? Most people figure out by the time they hit puberty. It’s surprising he hasn’t discovered it yet.”

“Not everyone discovers it in third-year P.E. by breaking someone’s ankle.” The story sounded a lot more violent than it actually was. Seonghwa and Hongjoong had known each other since they were five, when Hongjoong befriended the quietest kid in the class because he was nice and knew how to play checkers. Seonghwa had known he was telepathic since he was three, and he managed to keep that thought hidden perfectly. He never cheated on assignments or in games unless the other person deserved it, and he only started to cheat with Hongjoong a little bit before he told the other about his telepathy, which, coincidentally, followed the incident in P.E. Another boy in their class was playing far too rough in their peewee version of a basketball scrimmage and Hongjoong had anger issues then (surprise surprise) and ended up breaking the kid’s ankle with just his mind. At first he thought it’d been a coincidence, but after testing his theory and discussing it with his best friend, they came to the conclusion that Hongjoong was telekinetic, which freaked out the younger until Seonghwa revealed his telepathy (much to the other’s chagrin) and the rest was history.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m violent. No one expected less. What about Yeosang though? You said he doesn’t know.”

The older nodded, lips pursed. “He doesn’t. He had no idea about his cousins either, which is surprising. So, we’re going to have to try and help him, I guess. It’s all we can do.”

“But you said he doesn’t want to know. We can’t force him to know.” The blue-haired boy stared intensely at his best friend. Hongjoong did not mess around when it came to protecting his friends, and Yeosang was definitely his friend now. He had been hurt from something Hongjoong had done (at least in part) and that didn’t sit well with him. Even if Yeosang didn’t want to be friends with any of them again when he woke up, Hongjoong needed to do right by the younger.

“You’re right.” Hongjoong whipped to Seonghwa. “No, I will not repeat that. We’ll have to discuss it with him, then. Make it his decision. Urge him to consider all sides. We did blindside him.” Hongjoong nodded and the two glanced at the two on the couch.

Wooyoung ran his fingers through Yeosang’s soft-blond hair and tried to figure out how to deal with this. When Mingi had first told them about the feeling of someone else who had an ability, the others were concerned. Wooyoung knew about the witches better than the rest of them, but no one else in way of enhanced abilities like them. When Wooyoung had mentioned how funny it would be if his cousin, who happened to go to the same school and had never interacted with Mingi, was the person he felt, Mingi had gone stiff-straight and Seonghwa blinked rapidly at the other’s thoughts. Mingi was as good as any other psychic out there, but for some reason, he couldn’t pinpoint the ability. He could tell everyone’s before they told him, too, but not Yeosang. He could also tell the witches a mile away. But not Yeosang, even though it was definitely him. He had reasoned Yeosang had a physical ability, but that didn’t explain why he didn’t know. Nothing did.

Then again, Wooyoung had known his bread-baking introvert cousin for his entire life, and he knew if anyone would be evasive, it was Kang Yeosang. The creek-dive was a prime example.

Wooyoung frowned.

He stared at his cousin as he laid unconscious in his lap.

He felt the weight, or more so, the lack of weight from his cousin’s big head.

His eyebrows furrowed.

Across the room, Seonghwa frowned. Wooyoung continued brushing Yeosang’s hair, letting the thoughts vanish into vapor. That would be for another day; that was too much excitement for today.

“Bullshit,” the youngest said from across the room.

Wooyoung slowly raised his gaze, eyes narrowed on Jongho. The feelings inside Wooyoung were scary to Jongho—he was only afraid of four people in the whole world: Hongjoong, Wooyoung, Seonghwa, and Yunho, in that order. Hongjoong was obvious, but Wooyoung was the kind of hyung that was the youngest child in his family so when he had younger friends, he would be relentless. And while Jongho had empathy on his side, Wooyoung was fast. And emotions were fast, but Wooyoung was faster.

Yeosang’s head was comfortably resting on a pillow and Jongho was being beaten by a different pillow, quite rapidly, before he could even identify the emotion inside the other.

The oldest, of course, just watched. Wooyoung was quite scary, after all. And almost impossible to stop.

“Woooooo,” a whine came amidst the loud tirade of the Woosan/2ho fight. Mingi abstained to keep from being scolded. Everyone turned to the couch. “Shushhhhh,” Yeosang mumbled, rolling over.

There was a moment of silence before the Jeongs jumped on their cousin, lightly, to inquire about his head and his health. The others stared on in concern.

“I’m fine,” Yeosang finally asserted loudly, sitting up. “My head hurts, but that’s to be expected when you’re dumb like me.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Wooyoung asked tentatively, holding Yeosang’s arm tightly.

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “Yes. I ran away because you’re all crazy.”

“Do you still think we’re crazy?”

“I’ve always thought you were crazy, Woo.”

San nodded where he was sitting on the back of the chair. “I told you.”

(Wooyoung shot the other a withering glare. No one was getting on his good side for a long time, it seemed.)

“Okay, but like, are you okay with all this?” Hongjoong walked over and sat on the coffee table across from the other.

Surprised by his softness, especially after Wooyoung’s comments before he fell, Yeosang smiled. “I think I will be. After a while. But right now, I just want food.”

“Oh yes, please, food,” Yunho and Mingi said at the exact same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I need to argue that a "soft nose scrunch" is real or do y'all get the vibe
> 
> Also I listened to an obnoxious amount of Twice while writing this and I think it made it obnoxiously soft instead of sassy
> 
> Then again, Yeosang was unconscious for half of it...
> 
> Also the new Onewe bc Parting makes me feel an Emotion


	11. Now You Gonna Take Me There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pining has been slow but this chapter kicks it up a notch
> 
> Feat this author who has no romantic experience and really likes discussing enhanced abilities way more (also this is the longest chapter so far)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, ik, I posted like 2 days ago what is happening

A few weeks passed before the issue of “enhanced abilities” could be discussed again. In that time Yeosang found two more recipes for cakes, one of which he gave to San on his birthday. (Even though the flexible boy had to head home for the day to see his family, he gorged decadently. Yeosang was truly improving his frosting skills, too. And Wooyoung had insisted on helping, so the powder sugar went everywhere...)

Classes weren’t for another month, but Wooyoung was nothing if not dedicated to his studies. He just loved to learn, and he _was_ incredibly intelligent; he just talked like an Internet personality and a walking meme.

Yeosang scraped his latest batch of cookies onto the cooling rack while Wooyoung rambled on and on about a new psychology course that had been added this fall and how excited he was to take it.

“Wait,” Yeosang said after a moment. “Is this why you study psychology? Because of all your enhanced abilities?”

Wooyoung beamed. “But of course.”

“Why didn’t the others, then?”

“Because Seonghwa-hyung already knows enough about the human mind, Hongjoong-hyung is basically made for music production, and everyone else didn’t feel like it. Yun-hyung especially.”

The other looked up from where he sat on the couch in the living room. “That’s because you talk about it for hours at a time, Woo.”

“It’s not hours,” the youngest whined.

“You’re right,” Yunho replied, walking over to the table and sitting down. “It’s _days._ ” He snagged a cookie, despite being too hot, and promptly regretted the action. He received a _serves you right_ look from Yeosang.

The brothers shared a look while Yeosang finished cleaning up. “So, since we’re on the subject,” Wooyoung started, “have you thought about what you think any sort of ability you might have would be?”

Yeosang sighed and shook his head. He had spent many nights thinking about it, and he’d talked to Jongho and Seonghwa about it, but he hadn’t really come to any conclusion. His cousins hadn’t really brought it up because they wanted to give Yeosang space, especially given his reaction the first time. But nothing anyone could come up with gave any insight.

“Maybe I can help?” Yunho offered. Wooyoung snorted, and the older scowled. “Just because I work in objects doesn’t mean I don’t know about people, you turd.”

“Did you just call me a _turd_ ? That’s _so_ immature.”

“Says the cheeseball stuffer.”

“Don’t start a fight you can’t win, Sangie.”

“You started the fight.”

Yunho sighed as the two went back and forth for a few minutes. When Wooyoung finally ran out of comebacks, Yunho continued, “Could I try something?” Yeosang nodded, and Yunho sat across from him and placed his hands on his shoulders. The process of psychometry was slow and hard to understand, mainly because there were a lot of factors, but after a few minutes, Yunho opened his eyes and removed his hands. “It’s odd...Your clothing has the normal memories that they should’ve, including the average washing-machine trauma. But...” Yunho paused for a moment to find the words. “It’s like it has no personal connection to you.”

Now Wooyoung frowned. “That’s weird. Like. Wearing clothing repeatedly offers a connection. And Sangie hasn’t bought new clothes in ten years.” The offended party glared. “It’s true. Update your wardrobe. You’ll never impress cute boys if you dress like a farmhand.”

“I am a farmhand.”

“Still.”

“I don’t need to impress boys with my looks. I impress them with my baking.”

Yunho nodded, much to Wooyoung’s dismay. “What? Baking is impressive. I wish I could make things half as tasty as Yeo. He’s much cooler for baking than wearing half-buttoned shirts.”

“San.”

“Jongho.”

Wooyoung dropped his head on the table. “Dammit.”

~~~

Sitting in his room for weeks did not help his dilemma. Going out to summer parties and the store with Mingi and San did not help. Throwing bottles in the back field so Hongjoong could shatter them did not help. Neither did knitting, watching TV, listening to music, or anything else Jongho had done to relieve himself of his dilemma. He currently sat out back, pulling up as much grass as he could. Mingi would get on him about it when Jongho wasn’t completely distressed. One didn’t need to be an empath to know that.

But if one was a telepath, or a witch, they could tell why:

_Lovesickness is an acute illness with a very rare antidote._

That’s what the note had said on the bracelet he’d received in the mail from an unknown person two days prior. All he had to go on was the Chinese address. He’d asked Mingi about it to make sure it wouldn’t hurt him in any way. As far as Mingi could tell, it was a charm bracelet that would help Jongho in some way. Jongho had been avoiding Seonghwa for a while, especially being alone with the older, because he knew the dilemma well and had offered to lend an ear (and not eavesdrop constantly), but Jongho had run away from him any time he tried.

Yes, the dilemma was that Choi Jongho was gay and stupid (not necessarily in that order) and hopelessly crushing on one Kang Yeosang.

It had started so small, with his general emotional range being quite soft, and then after they started texting, Jongho knew he was in too far. Jongho had never really dated a lot, but he knew emotions well, and that feeling...that was definitely a crush. 

Something about Yeosang just clicked, and even after discovering Jongho’s actions the first day they met, Yeosang didn’t have hard feelings. Jongho hadn’t acted maliciously towards Yeosang, but he had towards Gahyeon, and he apologized profusely to Yeosang and told him that he had already contacted the other girl by means of Mingi to apologize for his actions. He didn’t explain why he’d hurt her in the first place, but Yeosang hadn’t asked either. Perhaps he didn’t want to know, but from what Jongho gathered, the blond understood that it was emotional, and therefore Jongho had a sixth sense for it and putting it into words was very difficult.

Now, that was, frankly, bullshit, but that’d never stopped Jongho from using his every advantage to get out of things with his hyungs. With Yeosang, however, it was harder to pout and act cute, because doing so caused Jongho to blush furiously. The two had gone to a café together and just talked more in person about everything a week ago. And he meant _everything._ Family, school, food preferences, and most importantly, empathy.

_“So, you can feel everyone’s emotions, and you can make them feel anything?” Yeosang had asked. Jongho only nodded in reply. Yeosang considered this for several moments over his coffee. “Have you ever done that to me outside of that first time?”_

_Jongho shook his head quickly. “Of course not. I promised Seonghwa-hyung I wouldn’t as soon as he got back from taking you home. I had only meant to do it to make you more comfortable, but it actually made you sick. Again, I’m sorry.”_

_Yeosang pursed his lips and continued to think. “Can you do it to me now? Just something small?”_

_“What do you want? What emotion?”_

_“Joy.”_

_Jongho quickly did as he was asked, and watched as the softest smile curved onto the other’s face, and how that joy spread slowly throughout his whole body. And then Jongho slowly detached his influence and let the joy disappear. But, it didn’t. Yeosang still had joy, less potent but more natural. Jongho explained that Yeosang couldn’t mention that to anyone, since he had promised not to._

_Yeosang only shrugged. “You didn’t promise me. I think that should matter more.”_

_“How ‘bout I promise not to manipulate your emotions unless you ask?”_

_Yeosang held out his pinky, and Jongho promised._

And since then everything had been fine with them. They still hadn’t come up with anything—not one of the eight—to what Yeosang’s ability could be. Only time would tell, yet if that meant Jongho could spend more time with Yeosang discussing that (and anything else), he would take it.

~~~

“You’ve been quiet all day, Yeosang-ah,” his mom said that night. His cousins had gone to the movies with their respective best friends and it was just the two of them sitting at the kitchen table, his mom going through the mail and Yeosang sitting idly, texting Jongho periodically.

“I’ve just been thinking.”

His mom looked up from the papers in her hands. “About what, sweetie?”

Yeosang pursed his lips. “Have you ever heard of people having like...enhanced abilities?”

Raising her eyebrows, his mom said, “Like what exactly? Like extra senses or strength or speed?”

“Yes, exactly like that. Have you ever heard of anyone with stuff that?”

She frowned. “I don’t think so. It’s not very common.”

And then she winced.

Yeosang stared at her. “But it exists?”

His mom sighed, definitively finished with the mail. “Yes. It’s not nearly as common as you would hope, though. It’s just an extra kick in capability.”

“Like super-speed or telekinesis or empathy or psychometry.” Yeosang acted innocent and intrigued instead of confused that his mother had known but never said anything?

“Psychometry seems like a stretch. I’ve never met anyone who’s psychometric.”

“But you have the other three?”

Like a deer in headlights, his mother grimaced. “Yes. They’re more likely. Telekinesis isn’t, but it’s up there. You shouldn’t worry about these things; people don’t just pop up like that.”

Yeosang stared at her. _I thought the same thing._ “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” she replied, her tone bordering on agitated, which she rarely was with her angel son. “I can tell when someone has an ability.”

That caught him off guard. “So, you’re telepathic?”

“No, I can just tell when someone has one and I can block their ability if need be.” She spoke so casually, like this wasn’t making Yeosang’s head spin.

So many things made sense. So many pieces fell into place. “So, these blocks last out of your range?” (Yeosang had been reading into sci-fi encyclopedias, recently.) “You can block someone even when you’re not around them?”

Although she seemed disgruntled at his prying, she nodded. 

“Do I have an ability? Did you block it?”

She didn’t answer.

“Eomma. Do I have an ability?”

Finally, she met his eye. “Yes.”

“You blocked my ability?” Yeosang asked, betrayed.

His mom just sighed. “It’s not exactly something I wanted you to just discover Yeosang-ah. I was going to tell you, and then the time slipped away from me.”

“I understand protecting me, but I’m twenty! Why couldn’t you tell me when I graduated?” He was unbelievably hurt at her actions, even if he understood the sentiment.

“I didn’t completely block it. Just enough that you wouldn’t be able to notice. I also cannot tell what ability people have, just that they have one, and I can only block what I know about. But yes, I do know what yours is. You were too young to remember ever using it.”

Yeosang stared at her. “What is it?”

“I don’t want you to use it, Yeosang. I mean it. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“But what is it?” he demanded again.

She shook her head. “I cannot, in good conscience tell you. You can figure it out yourself, now that you know. I’m sure you can come up with any array of abilities that fit you.”

Yeosang didn’t know how to react. He was hurt and betrayed, and he just wanted to talk to Wooyoung or Jongho about it, to talk to Yunho about how his mother didn’t think psychometry was real, and he wanted to get away from this nonsense and take a breath. “But you blocked it, so it doesn’t matter anyways.”

She sat still for a moment, then she tapped her fingers on the table, thinking. “If you really want me to unblock it, I will. So, just say the word, and I’ll let you free from the block.”

There were so many things that could go wrong by saying yes—endangering himself and others, damaging property, being lost beyond comprehension, or exposing himself to the world to dissect him.

He looked his mother in the eye. “Please unblock it.”

She nodded, lips pinched. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dialogue tags are passé anyways
> 
> Jk they're important but Wooyoung arguing needs no interruptions
> 
> Also thanks to everyone who's reading this!! Over 300 hits is just unexpected 💜 the drabble has a little bit more to go so I hope you enjoy


	12. Take My Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I got distracted by memes for like a week after I read a new book series that has now become part of my personality so we'll see how it goes
> 
> This is actually a reveal bc  
> y'know  
> Yeosang's ability???

“Are you sure this will help?”

“Yes. Why are you doubting me?”

“Because eating lemons and then trying to whistle is a game, not a way to figure out my ability.”

“Sangie, how you doubt me so. How do you think I figured out my ability?”

“You tried to race kids on the playground and ended up in Tokyo.”

“You’re wrong; it was Osaka.”

It had been three days of tests from each member of the group to see if something would activate Yeosang’s ability after his mother unblocked it. But unfortunately, nothing turned up. They had let Wooyoung try last, partly because everyone else had better ideas, partly because his chaos was a last resort, and partly because he knew Yeosang arguably the best, and therefore had the best chance of lining it up.

And he did, of course, have a pretty fool-proof theory, but he wanted to have fun with this, too. That’s why he tried to suggest racing to see if Yeosang was fast, too, but that was vetoed by everyone but San. 

“Okay, so, is that the last of it?” Yunho asked. “I don’t think I can take more fruit being used in weird ways.”

“I have two more!” Wooyoung announced cheerily. “One of them is funny and the other is _funnier._ ”

No one believed him.

“Ah, c’mon,” Wooyoung pouted. “I’m trying to help him. If we don’t try every angle, we may never figure it out.”

“Was one of them having him break apples with his bare hands?” San asked, glancing at the bucket of apples Wooyoung had brought out to the yard along with the lemons. Wooyoung smiled cheekily. “That’s really difficult to do if you’re not strong.”

Without saying a word, Jongho reached over to try. Everyone ignored the youngest, thinking nothing of it, but Yeosang watched as Jongho effortlessly broke the apple in half. Everyone turned at the sound.

“Are we sure Jongho’s not super-strong? Is the empathy real?” Yunho asked, even though he was joking. Everyone had been on the receiving end of his empathy, so there was no doubt. But it was startling that Jongho had that kind of strength, too.

Jongho shrugged. “I get bored at home sometimes.”

“And your first thought is to break apples in half?”

“Yes,” Seonghwa and Jongho answered at the same time.

Hongjoong stepped up beside Yeosang. “Are you sure you want to keep trying? It’s just going to get more dangerous as we go along. It’s your choice, of course, but I don’t want you getting hurt because of our nonsense.”

Yeosang appreciated the concern greatly, and he smiled. “Thanks, hyung, but I’m in this now. I might go crazy if I don’t know.” Hongjoong nodded knowingly, and pat the other’s shoulder. Things were going to get wild very quickly, and Hongjoong was excited to see how it turned out. Not if someone got hurt, of course. He just hoped it was Wooyoung, if anyone. He hadn’t shut up about guessing right yet.

“Okay, so I have one more idea,” Wooyoung announced to the group. Mingi and Jongho were sitting on the picnic-table bench, San and Yunho sat on the table, Seonghwa stood beside it with Hongjoong on his side, and Wooyoung stood next to Yeosang. “This is kind of a long shot, but we all know that it’s pretty standard for us.”

Although he knew the group was loud, Yeosang didn’t expect everyone to argue with that. Even Seonghwa did, despite knowing Wooyoung’s line of reasoning. That didn’t make the idea any less dangerous. “What is it?” Yeosang wondered, eyes on his younger cousin.

Wooyoung headed off to the barn on the property that the others hadn’t put to use yet, except as a makeshift garage. They took the ladder up, Wooyoung stumbling more than Yeosang. The blond wasn’t afraid of heights, and Wooyoung was more afraid of being in the air than anything; he liked having his feet on the ground.

Once they stepped out on the roof, Yeosang knew one thing to be certain: 

He was going to die.

Wooyoung offered his hand to Yeosang and led him to the edge where the others stood in a semi-circle and stared up. “We do this to everyone. It’s an initiation process, usually after we know your ability, but I think you should do it anyways.”

Yeosang stared at his cousin, completely baffled. This was beyond Wooyoung’s usual reasoning. “Please tell me you’re not going to push me off the roof.” 

Wooyoung didn’t say anything.

“Jeong Wooyoung, you cannot be serious.”

“It’s completely safe!”

“How?” Yeosang asked incredulously.

Wooyoung brushed him off. “Hongjoong-hyung has telekinesis, Sangie. He can catch you, even if the others don’t. And there’s more of us now. At least you weren’t Mingi. He had only Seonghwa-hyung and Hongjoong-hyung. Talk about scary. Just looking down and having only two people, one tiny and one lanky—”

“Just get on with it, pipsqueak!” Hongjoong yelled from below. Seonghwa must’ve relayed Wooyoung’s teasing to the other. After a moment, he called up, “Don’t worry, Yeosang! I’ll catch you!”

Yeosang still glanced back at his cousin, shaking his head. “Woo, you cannot push me—”

Wooyoung dropped Yeosang’s hand and shoved with both hands. Yeosang let out a yell that would’ve been heard for miles if anyone was there to listen. But he didn’t land on the ground and break his spine, like expected. He opened his eyes when no impact came and found himself hovering a foot off the ground. The other six stared at him expectantly. Then he plopped to the ground and grumbled into the dirt and grass before he stood up to brush himself off. 

“What?” he asked when everyone stood there, speechless. “I thought this is what you all do.”

Hongjoong swallowed thickly. “I didn’t catch you.”

Yeosang’s ears weren’t working apparently. “Um? You must’ve? Because I didn’t break my spine?”

“No, I didn’t. Seonghwa said that Woo said not to catch you until the very last second. I was just about to when you stopped. I didn’t catch you.”

Wooyoung popped up from nowhere, grinning from ear to ear. “I told you I was right. You owe me ten thousand won each, Sannie and hyungs.” He held out his hand, which he received glares for, but when he didn’t let up, he received his forty thousand won.

“What the fuck?” Yeosang said, looking between his cousin counting money and the surprised looks on everyone’s faces. “What just happened?”

“You have flight,” Mingi supplied. “That’s what your mother blocked from you, which makes sense. I can tell now that I’ve seen it.”

“He can fly. How the fuck can he fly?” San complained. “I get to be all bendy but Yeosang can just get up and fly? How is that even fair? What if I wanted to fly?”

“Ask Yeosang for a lift.”

San glared. “You’re not funny, Joong-hyung.”

“I told you all it was a physical ability,” Mingi declared proudly. “And I only couldn’t tell because it was blocked.”

“Way to go, Nostradamus.”

“You’re just bitter, San-hyung.”

“Shut up, Lover Boy.”

Seonghwa raised his hands before a fight could break out. “Children, please. We just made an amazing discovery. Please don’t ruin it by fighting. Plus, San, you’re going to lose if you pick a fight with Jongho.”

“Not if I boa-constrictor around him and make him pass out,” San threatened.

“He could break your arm like an apple, you noodle,” Yunho teased.

Mingi snorted. “Says the least threatening person here. Or should I say, puppy?”

The peace broke already, and everyone was fighting with someone, or refereeing, as Seonghwa desperately tried to calm them down. Jongho was distracted with getting back at San or he could’ve helped, and Hongjoong was flicking Wooyoung in the head every time he tried to jump at Mingi to defend Yunho.

Yeosang just stood to the side, watching them all. He didn’t know what to say, but he would process eventually. For now, he was okay with taking a breath and letting his friends battle it out.

His friends. They were his friends. They were in this together.

That brought a smile to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, did you like it? Did you guess it?
> 
> This chapter ended up being really Ateez-banter heavy and I wrote this in like 45 mins but I hope yall like it
> 
> Theres only like ?2 chapters left and an epilogue so be prepared!


	13. No Thanks I'm Okay

Although he had insisted they _all_ didn’t need to be there, Yeosang took comfort in his friends offering their help as he worked through his ability the rest of the summer. He didn’t expect to be twenty-one and learning how to use his ability like he was learning to ride a bike, but it ended up being the perfect time.

At first, it was only going to be him and Hongjoong, in case he couldn’t activate his flight at all, or if he suddenly fell from an unsafe height. Then Jongho came out back and saw Yeosang freaking out and decided to keep an eye on all of it. And then San had decided his physical-ability expertise was needed, and so was Wooyoung’s, and then Yunho thought his presence could be helpful in calming his cousin, especially with Wooyoung to tease him, and Mingi came because Yunho was outside, and Seonghwa reluctantly left his notes to make sure the other five didn’t distract Hongjoong from keeping Yeosang safe.

That was how it went every day for two whole weeks, and by the end, he could hover a few feet off the ground without having issue. He still couldn’t steer, but it was enough to just be three feet off the ground. He only ever practiced at their house because of fear of being seen, but he wanted to do more. He needed to practice without an audience. That was how he baked, and that was how he would fly, too.

One night, when he was all alone in his room, he tried flying. Hongjoong and San had given him differing opinions on conquering an ability, but, together, it worked. Telekinesis was all about concentration, and flexibility was all about belief. San believed he could bend without breaking, and Hongjoong focused his energy on moving the objects, which is generally how he ended up moving stuff more when he was angry. (Both took a great deal of practice, too.) When he managed to bump into the ceiling and fall on his bed and bounce to the ground and roll into his door, his mom came rushing to ask if he was okay.

Yeosang smiled. “Yes.”

His mother shook her head. “If you’re not more careful, I’ll block it again, Kang Yeosang,” she warned, walking back to her room.

Wooyoung stepped up from the shadows once she was gone. “How far did you get?” he wondered with a twinkle in his eye.

“Hit the ceiling.”

“COOL,” Wooyoung announced to the entire house.

“Go to your room, Jeong Wooyoung, and stay there!” Yeosang’s mom shouted back. The cousins shared a tense expression and laughed.

~~~

“This is ridiculous,” Jongho said after ten minutes of silence. The other four stared at him. Seonghwa was at least being casual about it, Hongjoong failed to pretend he wasn’t staring, Mingi was smiling, and San sat on the other side of the coffee table with his chin in his hands and an intense gaze locked on Jongho. “You can’t make me do anything, and that’s not new.”

“If you don’t say something soon, Wooyoung will,” Mingi warned him helpfully. They all knew that was true. Once Wooyoung had figured out the truth from San, who had reluctantly shared due to his fear of Jongho (because Wooyoung would not be denied), he had made it his life mission to mess with Jongho because Yeosang was, quote, “an oblivious boy who wouldn’t know affection if it hit him in the face.”

“Yunho might too,” Seonghwa added quietly. “He’s been texting me about stealing Wooyoung’s thunder to get back at him for sharing an intimate detail he already knew with him and then using it against Jongho.” When Jongho scowled at him, Seonghwa shrugged, “It’s better than the alternative. Wooyoung will be annoying about it.”

Jongho groaned. “Ugh.” He covered his face with his hands. “I knowwwwww. But how am I supposed to use words with the cutest boy in the world staring at me with the softest hair and prettiest eyes?” The last part was too muffled to be understood, thankfully; unfortunately, Seonghwa knew what he said. 

His cackle filled the room. Everyone whipped to him, even Hongjoong. Mingi and San demanded to know what Jongho had said. Seonghwa didn’t say, though, and Jongho was grateful.

 _Tell him before someone else does, or I’ll tell everyone what you said. In_ front _of Yeosang, too._

Seonghwa was mean.

~~~

That’s how Jongho arranged to meet Yeosang in the park. He had grabbed his favorite drink from the café beforehand, and sat on the bench trying to figure out what words he should use. He had just come up with something convincing when he spotted Yeosang, hurrying over with his soft-blond hair blowing in the breeze. When Yeosang caught his eye, he waved and a bright smile lit up his face.

Every thought vacated Jongho’s head.

Yeah, he was in too deep.

“Hey,” he said in his deep voice, smile still on his face. When Jongho just stared, Yeosang blushed. “You okay?”

Jongho just moved his hand, offering the cup. “I. I got. This. For you. I got this for you.” He cleared his throat. “I thought you might like it.”

Yeosang accepted the cup and took a sip. “Perfect. Thanks, Jjong.”

Jongho’s heart just. Stopped.

“I—I have to tell you, something.”

Yeosang put his hands together around his cup and stared expectantly.

After a minute of silence, Yeosang was still smiling. _Why is this boy so perfect, to smile at me when I’m being a complete fool?_

“You’re cute,” Yeosang said finally. Jongho’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “I thought you were good with emotions and could articulate them?”

Jongho sputtered some sort of response along the lines of “You can’t expect that kind of follow-through when it comes to abilities.” Although, it was unclear if Yeosang understood any of that.

Yeosang shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s because of that night at the rink, or when I finally started figuring out this flight thing, but I was really grateful you were there to help me through it all.” He twittled with his cup. “I think I liked you when we started texting, and Wooyoung is annoying and said I liked you, and I denied him, but it was true. Somewhere along the line, at least.” Yeosang smiled again, blush covering his whole face.

Jongho couldn’t speak.

“You like me. Romantically.”

“Mhm,” Yeosang hummed as he sipped his drink again.

“And you...told me before I told you...”

Yeosang stopped drinking, frozen, and stared. “I guess?”

“I think Mingi just lost a bet,” Jongho said with a smile. “For the first time _ever_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm emotionally stunted and can't write confessions at all so I hope y'all got the gist


	14. I'm Gon' Chase You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For reference:
> 
> Fourth year: Yunho Yeosang San Yeonjun (TXT) Changbin (Skz) Gahyeon (Dreamcatcher)  
> Third year: Mingi Wooyoung Hyunjin (Skz)  
> Second year: Jongho Jisung Felix Seungmin (Skz) Soobin (TXT)

It was Yeosang’s idea not to say anything, and Jongho was on board for seeing everyone’s reactions. Seonghwa had given Jongho a week before he let Wooyoung go, and when Yeosang heard that, he laughed loudly, covering his mouth with his hand, and Jongho felt himself just go deeper and deeper. He had never crushed on anyone this hard before, and he feared what that meant, but he let it go when Yeosang laughed or smiled or kissed his cheek or went on and on about his baking, or when he  _ tasted _ Yeosang’s baking because Wooyoung  _ was _ right, and Jongho would never admit that to the speed-demon himself.

Jongho also helped Yeosang practice whenever he wasn’t busy, which involved one of Jongho’s favorite things—staring at Yeosang and smiling. Yeosang didn’t seem to mind. He never understood it, really, why Yeosang’s emotions didn’t bother him or why he always liked being around the other. Maybe they just fit because they were both quiet, but Yeosang had a savage edge and Jongho could attack when necessary. It worked well.

“I can’t believe you’re higher than Yun-hyung,” Jongho said eventually as Yeosang’s face was stone-flat in concentration. Six feet was a feat for someone who discovered their ability only a month earlier. Jongho didn’t make anyone feel anything but happiness his first year of his ability, but that was because he was six and only wanted the world to be a happier place.

“Takes...a metric...shit-ton...of concentration,” Yeosang managed to say, but his concentration slipped as he said it, and he started to fall. He managed to catch himself at about two feet, but only for a moment, which gave Jongho ample opportunity to jump up and catch him. This wasn’t the first time Jongho had caught Yeosang from falling, but his heart beat like it had in the car that night, when he realized the boy next to him was kind and soft, the hazy pretty emotions that never harmed him.

Yeosang smiled at Jongho, who just stared at him with a burning blush and rapid pulse. Then he leaned in and pecked his lips. “Thanks for always catching me.” Jongho let him down and smiled. “I thought you were going to stop being a hopeless gay.”

“One of us has to be.”

A whine escaped Yeosang’s throat. “Don’t make me be the confident gay.”

Jongho shrugged. “Too late.”

~~~

The week expired and Jongho waited for the attack. He didn’t know what exactly would happen, since Yeosang already knew, but it was definitely going to be awkward either way. Seonghwa had been around Yeosang to help him with his ability too, or talking about baking or classes that started soon, but he hadn’t said anything to anyone about their relationship. Jongho half-expected Seonghwa to threaten Yeosang not to hurt Jongho after the speech Yunho had given all of them. Jongho was their  _ baby _ , after all.

“So, are you children excited for your final year of school?” Seonghwa asked that Friday before classes started. Yunho and Wooyoung had moved into the dorms the day before, and Yeosang had told Jongho he missed their presence a little bit, but not that much considering how often Wooyoung promised to stop by to get dinner from Momma Kang. He and his mom had made up about her betrayal and Yeosang’s “bad-boy influence,” also known as Jongho, who had gone over for dinner the one night the Jeongs were gone to meet his mom properly. She’d gushed over Jongho like everyone always did and her smile had nothing to do with his empathy.

Yunho, Yeosang, and San shared at look over their to-go containers. “I guess,” Yunho said. “Good to finally get a degree and move on from this mess.” He gestured at Wooyoung vaguely. His brother pouted, and San slung his arm around his shoulder and glared at Yunho.

“That’s not very nice,” Mingi told him with a smile. (Mingi didn’t care either way, Jongho knew.)

Wooyoung scoffed, and San replied, “You’re just mean because you wish you were as cool as Woo.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes and dug his chopsticks through his container. “You make fun of him almost as much as the rest of us, San. Maybe more.”

“Stop eating all the chicken and eat some vegetables,” Seonghwa scolded.

“See?” San spoke like that explained all his thoughts. Although Seonghwa understood, he continued for the unfortunately un-telepathic, “Only best friends can be that mean to each other.”

Wooyoung took the silence as an opportunity to go into what Jongho and Seonghwa had affectionately titled Sasshole Mode, wherein he became an asshole, but in the sassy cute way that only the Jeong-Kang boys could pull off, apparently. (The Choi-Park trio failed continuously, and the Song-Kim alliance didn’t even attempt.) Jongho knew it was coming when amusement bloomed in the chest of someone who had been wronged a mere moments before, who should still be embarrassed.

“So, Sangie,” he started, gaining the attention of the entire room. Yeosang just looked up from his container as he chewed. “I heard there’s this cute boy in the drama department in my year who might be a nice boy to hang out with. Now that you’re branching out your friends, y’know.”

Somehow, Jongho managed to keep himself in check (no blush, no violent attacks), even when Wooyoung looked at Jongho specifically. Yeosang, for what it was worth, just looked between the two of them like Wooyoung was crazy (which wasn’t hard to do), and shrugged. “Okay. I mean, if I cross paths with him, maybe we’ll hang out.”

“Isn’t he friends with Chan?” Hongjoong asked. Wooyoung stared at him with wide, confused eyes.

“The music producer, the dancer, or the fashion designer?” Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong swallowed. “The music producer.”

“Bang Chan,” Seonghwa offered Wooyoung.

Wooyoung nodded and took another bite to speak through. “Yes, yes, Bang Chan. He is. Anyways, if you wanna befriend a dramatic boy, to get you more out of your comfort zone, to help you see the world as so fun and beyond what any emotionally-inept people might do...”

Everyone stared at Yeosang now, waiting for his reply to Wooyoung’s  _ obvious  _ teasing at Jongho. And, considering how oblivious Yeosang was, Jongho didn’t know what he expected Yeosang to reply to that. “Well, okay, if that’s what you think I need.”

“I also heard he’s pansexual and looking,” Wooyoung offered with another teasing smile in Jongho’s direction. If Yeosang didn’t already know, Jongho might’ve throttled his hyung.

Yeosang rolled his eyes. “I told you to stay out of my love-life, Wooyoung.” He pointed a chopstick threateningly. 

“Yeah, but if you don’t get out there, you’ll never know what could be waiting for you.” Wooyoung pouted. “I just want what’s best for you, Sangie.”

“I don’t need your help, thank you.” He paused, picking up a bite and staring at it. “People don’t even like me like that, trust me.”

If Jongho couldn’t feel the amusement inside Yeosang, he would be hurt, but he knew Yeosang was playing Wooyoung. Yunho and Seonghwa were watching Jongho as the other two went back and forth, exchanging odd glances with each other as Jongho said nothing and tried to eat peacefully like Mingi, Hongjoong, and San.

“I know at least one person who would  _ definitely  _ date you.”

“Okay? That doesn’t mean they’re going to say anything.”

“But like what if there was a cute boy who wanted to date you but was too chicken to admit his feelings? Would you want to know?”

Yeosang narrowed his eyes at Wooyoung. It was actually very convincing, if Jongho saw it objectively. After a pause and a bite of food, Yeosang muttered, “...maybe...”

Wooyoung smiled devilishly at Jongho before opening his mouth to tell Yeosang.

“Oh, wait,” Yeosang interrupted. “You’re just going to say it’s Jongho, aren’t you?”

The whole room went still. Mingi had food halfway to his mouth, Yunho’s jaw had dropped, San’s eyes went wide, and the oldest two had frozen completely. Wooyoung shook his head a few times before saying, “Wait, you  _ know?” _

__ Yeosang went back to eating and laughed a little. “Yeah, Woo—I’m not an idiot. Sometimes you gotta go for it and hope he likes you back.” He let his gaze shift to Jongho, who matched the warm smile on his face.

The stillness cracked, and the whole room erupted into a stream of questions, followed by Hongjoong telling everyone to shut up. “Who confessed first?” he demanded at Yeosang.

“I did. I figured I should say something now that the whole ability-thing was off my mind.”

Mingi froze, then put his container down on the table, put his head in his hands, and yelled, “FUCK.”

Yunho hurried over and picked up Yeosang from his chair and spun him around. “You just cost Mingi a  _ hundred thousand won. _ ” Yeosang choked on his laugh.

“Why would you bet on that?” Yeosang asked.

“Because he didn’t think you would ever admit it, let alone first,” San laughed, high-fiving Yunho. The bet had been that Wooyoung would tell Yeosang before Jongho (Hongjoong, San), that Jongho would tell Yeosang first (Seonghwa, Yunho), or that Yeosang had no feelings for Jongho at all and therefore wouldn’t have anything to say (Mingi). They had bet fifty thousand won each, and Wooyoung and Jongho had been banned from betting because they directly affected the outcomes. Yeosang single-handedly broke Mingi’s record.

“I hate you all,” Mingi told them sincerely. 

Jongho tapped his head. “Don’t worry; at least you only have to pay-out fifty.”

“You couldn’t have just  _ not _ had feelings for him,” Mingi grumbled at Yeosang. “You had to just fall for this one.”

“How did you mess up?” Yeosang asked. “I thought you were psychic.”

“Emotions are messy. And what you do is too fluid to tell. I can usually tell other things. I just thought I was right.”

“Instead, you lost out on a hundred and now you can’t say you’re always right.” Yunho pumped a fist in the air. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

Mingi picked up a pillow and smacked Yunho, and Seonghwa quickly vacated the living room while the others picked up their own weapons. In the fray, Yeosang ended up dumped into Jongho’s lap by Yunho, who was trying to get at San. Jongho smiled at his boyfriend, who kissed him softly until someone (Wooyoung) noticed and gagged loudly for the others to hear. Seonghwa just smirked from the kitchen where he’d taken refuge to eat his food. He was glad it’d all worked out, in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Jongho Day!! I can't believe the baby is 20 😥 
> 
> This is the final real chapter  
> Nothing really went as I expected, but, yknow
> 
> That happens
> 
> Anyways!! Only the epilogue is left


	15. Epilogue: No One Take You Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's that??? A double update???!!?!?!??!
> 
> Happy Jongho Day special 💜

_ Three Weeks Later _

“...and I  _ tell _ Chan-hyung, ‘you can’t expect me to just pull three songs out of my ass for music production like Jisung,’ and Chan-hyung just goes ‘well maybe if you stopped hanging out with my cousin all the time, I wouldn’t have to ride you to get your work done.’” Changbin rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Isn’t he your TA?” Yeonjun asked seriously. Changbin shrugged and waved his hand. “So, wouldn’t he know what he’s talking about?”

“He just wants me to stop hanging out with Felix because I’m a, quote, ‘distraction’ and ‘bad influence for the impressionable young Australian.’” Changbin rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Yeosang frowned. “Didn’t you have to turn in your assignments late because you hung out with Felix and almost got caught spray painting all that stuff on Chan-ssi’s car?”

Changbin cut him with a look. “Yeo, I thought I told you that in confidence.”

“You told the group chat,” Yeonjun defended. “It’s not a secret if it’s in the group chat.”

The three sat on the group floor of the library, working on their assignments for their Literature class. Since their ideal careers were baker, music producer, and video-game designer, literature was only a residual credit they had to take, and they had all managed to put it off until their senior year, so they took it together. However, their study sessions turned into complaining and gossip time as they took a break from their other friends.

Yeosang’s phone buzzed three times where it sat on the table. He idly checked who messaged him.

**_What If We Had Superpowers_ **

**TheFlash (3:18pm)**

Is it too late to take Russian?

**Elastisan (3:18pm)**

Why the hell would you take Russian?

**TheFlash (3:18pm)**

For the ~drama~

Yeosang rolled his eyes, and then another text came through.

**_Private Message_ **

**Jjong (3:19pm)**

Would you be terribly upset if I made Woo-hyung shit his pants in the middle of our class?

**YeoYeo (3:19pm)**

Why does it matter what I think?

What did you do before I was around?

**Jjong (3:20pm)**

I only had to worry about Yun-hyung’s wrath

But if you agree with me on this, then he won’t try to get back at me for doing anything

**YeoYeo (3:20pm)**

What can he even do to get back at you

Beat you up?

**Jjong (3:22pm)**

I’d like to see him try

But no

One time he ate all my pudding cups out of the fridge after I told him his hair color didn’t suit him

I really wanted those pudding cups

**YeoYeo (3:22pm)**

Aren’t you in class right now? You shouldn’t be texting me

**Jjong (3:25pm)**

We only have five minutes left

And by texting me

You’re saving Woo-hyung from a terribly embarrassing story, so

**YeoYeo (3:25pm)**

You’re a menace

I see why Seonghwa-hyung asked me to keep an eye on you

Yeosang put his phone down, even though he caught Jongho’s response outlining the betrayal. His friends were staring at him with amused expressions on their faces. “What?” he asked.

“Who were you texting?” Changbin asked.

“Jongho,” Yeosang replied, wary of the smug expression Changbin gave him. “Why?”

Yeonjun shrugged. “I just think it’s cute how happy you are with your crazy friends. We were worried about you.”

Changbin nodded. “Oh my god, yeah. Jisung kept telling me that you needed more friends and he was going to make you hang out with Seungmin—and that would’ve gone terribly, trust me—because Jisung can befriend anyone, even Minho-hyung so—”

“Binnie,” Yeonjun cut in, patting Changbin’s hand. “He gets it.”

“I guess I did kinda go from only-acquaintances to a whole bundle of friends,” Yeosang muttered, confused.

“Now all you need is a—”

“Yeo-hyung!” a voice called across the library as quietly as possible. Yeosang couldn’t help his involuntary reaction at Jongho’s voice. He reached the group and wrapped his arms around Yeosang from behind and pressed a kiss into his cheek. “I’m finally free.”

The other two stared in awe. “Oh,” Yeosang said with a sly smile, “did I not mention that Jongho is my boyfriend...?”

Changbin sent him a dirty look and Yeonjun laughed, “No, you did not. Congrats, Sangie.” He smiled at Jongho. “Be good to him. He deserves someone good.” There was a hint of threat in his glare, which made Yeosang giggle.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jongho replied miserably. “Yunho-hyung has already told me off about it. And Woo-hyung tried.” That was the funniest thing Yeosang had ever experienced—his younger cousin trying to threaten Jongho while Yeosang sat on the floor between them eating soup. Jongho couldn’t get over how cute Yeosang had looked and whenever Wooyoung tried to be over-the-top threatening, Yeosang would slurp his soup. It had been the funniest day.

“Well, I suppose this means you two are off then, to do who-knows-what with your other crazy friends?” Changbin guessed, with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

“Weren’t you and your friends the ones who pranked the fourth-years last year by filling their cars with ball-pit bubbles and rubber duckies and other toys?” Jongho wondered. Yeosang had heard about that, but not from Changbin. According to Seonghwa, he and Hongjoong had managed to avoid the attack because of Mingi’s intervention.

Changbin went pale. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never lower myself to such a scheme. And if I had done it, I would not have blamed one Han Jisung after being caught by one Lee Minho and then watched as one of my best friends got bullied for the rest of the year.”

Yeonjun laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the library workers to shush them. “Oh, no, of course not, Binnie. How did Jisung feel about that?”

“Jisung may or may not have chased me around Chan-hyung’s apartment with a baseball bat and threatened to break all of my production equipment if I didn’t fess up to my crimes.” Changbin smiled coyly. “I never admitted to anything. Still haven’t, to this day.”

“Thatta boy,” Yeosang told him as he gathered up his stuff. “I’ll see you guys Monday!” He and Jongho left hand-in-hand. After three years of having a few friends here and there and acquaintances in his classes, Yeosang finally felt like everything was coming together. He felt lighter, and he felt good. Like this was how it was supposed to be all along. Jongho squeezed his hand, and he smiled. He could only dream of something so perfect. But this was real, and he couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean my dream basically had
> 
> 1\. Jeong cousins  
> 2\. Jongsang  
> 3\. Yeosang could fly  
> And a fourth point that didnt fit how I plotted
> 
> So that was all I had to work with
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read!! I appreciated every kudos and hit along the way  
> I might do a little series of one shots about all their abilities bc someone said I should so maybe look for that?? 
> 
> Who knows tho I have so many WIPs


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